The Return of Sabretooth
by Leonaria Dragonbane
Summary: Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again. Third in the Dictation Trilogy
1. Chapter 1

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 1 – Father of the Bride

"Dad, there's someone I want you to meet." He cringed every time he heard those words. He'd heard them quite a bit the last few years, which was reassuring. If she was changing boyfriends that quickly, then he wasn't going to have to keep from killing the one who was going to take her away from him.

"I'll be home this evening." He said into the phone, trying to keep the strain from his voice. She was his salvation. Before she came along he'd not been a very nice person. The people who knew him now wouldn't recognize the man he used to be. He glanced at his desk and grimaced. There were times, especially when he was dealing with an audit, that he missed the old days, but all he had to do was look at her picture – their pictures – and his reason for not ripping the peon's head off was clear.

This last year had been rough. Losing Bronwyn had shocked him. She'd been with him for so long; it was still strange to wake up alone in bed. It hadn't even been a heroic death; she'd just not woken up one morning. He still didn't know how she'd hidden her illness from him; he could usually smell that type of thing. It had to have been her using her mutation against him.

He'd hidden a few things from her, but nothing like that. His old leathers were packed in the bottom of his closet; he didn't even know if they were wearable anymore, he hadn't had them out in so long. He'd still worked for a few years after he met her, nearly lost her to his best friend once, and been shocked when she'd said yes. He'd been in the process of retiring when they met, and he hadn't looked back, not once since the day she'd invited him home. His mutation ensured he'd never go soft and flabby working in an office, and his claws were itching these days to dig into something other than paperwork.

He glanced over at the picture of the three of them sitting on his desk. Bronwyn was smiling, her fiery curls blowing in the wind in the back yard of the house as she held the baby in her arms. He was sitting behind her, his arms around both of them, and he was smiling. He shook his head and turned back to the problem at hand. His little girl wanted him to meet someone. The sound of metal digging into wood made him relax his hands. Bronwyn had never asked how he got the metal claws, she'd never asked a whole lot of questions she could have asked, and he'd always been grateful for her trust and support.

He tried not to think about it while he finished his day. His car was in the parking garage and he turned on the radio to distract him on the drive home. He stopped and picked up dinner for one – his angel lived on campus now, and probably wouldn't be by for dinner. He pulled into the driveway and for the fifth time this week reminded himself he needed to think about getting rid of Bron's car. Instead he pulled up next to it, like always and ran a hand over the cold hood before going into the house through the kitchen door.

The plates she'd bought were still in the cabinet and he pulled one down and dumped his takeout onto it. He grabbed one of the good forks – from her grandmother's silver set, and sat down at the table they'd picked out two years ago. Everything in the house reminded him of her, and there had been times – full of depression – when he'd considered just torching the place and starting over again, but always his Angel reminded him that there were good things to remember here too. He raised his glass to the painting over the mantle, like he did every night.

Angela was twenty three; he'd been clean and straight for almost thirty years. No killing, no mayhem, no illegal activities, nothing that would come back to hurt either of them, and now, he was living alone, his wife gone, his daughter bringing someone she wanted him to meet. Why did he have a feeling this one was serious…was it because she hadn't said those words in months, was it because of the tone in her voice, or was it because HE wanted it to be, so he could be free of what was tying him here.

He heard her key in the door, and the quiet voices as she tried to tell him to be nice. Like the punk being nice was going to make it any easier. He thought about scaring the shit out of the guy – but she would give him that look, the one that she'd given him when he told her she couldn't have a puppy when she was six, and she'd ended up with not just ONE damned dog but eight over the years.

"Dad, this is Todd. Todd this is my Dad, Victor." She was smiling, radiant even and he didn't miss the flash from her left hand either. Todd – that name was familiar, she'd known him a while.

"Todd." He said, and grabbed his little girl's hand. Half a carat solitaire with smaller accent stones, not bad – for a guy in college – or was he. He seemed a little older than the last few.

"This mean what I think it does?" He tried to keep the snarl out of his voice.

"Yes, Daddy."

"You got a last name, Todd."

"Baxter." The boy's voice was clear, and he didn't seem to be intimidated. A good start, but then again, Victor hadn't even started TRYING to be intimidating yet. Todd Baxter, he was one of a trio that ran around together. He thought Todd was dating her friend…what was her name?

"Moving up the alphabet, huh?" He said teasingly to his daughter.

"Dad."

He held out his hand to Todd. "Nice to meet you." He didn't even squeeze when the boy took his hand.

"Dad I have some things I need to get from my room, be nice while I'm gone."

He just laughed – this was him being 'nice.' A hell of a lot nicer than this guy deserved, taking his little girl away.

"So what do you do, Todd?"

"I work for an advertising agency."

"Where'd you two meet?"

"In class – I'm taking an afternoon class, my agency's paying for it, I only need a few more hours to finish my MBA."

"Nice – any plans after graduate school?"

"Actually, I would like to work on my doctorate in management, but with starting a…"

"A what?"

"Family. Angela and I, I don't want to take time away from her to finish my doctorate right now." Damn – the boy wasn't even lying, and Victor was actually warming up to the kid. He was honest, and didn't flinch, he had the guts to say what he thought, but that might just be because he didn't know who he was dealing with.

"Then you don't mind about her…family?"

"Mind, I'm a class two myself, nothing major, just water breathing, which makes me killer in a pool, but why would I mind her being a mutant."

"I wasn't talking about that – but that certainly answers my NEXT question." Todd looked a little sheepish.

"Most people freak because of who I am – then worry about her mutation. I like that you worried about the mutation first."

"Well, Mr. Creed, I mean, no offense, but you are an accountant right? What's to freak about that." Accountant? He owned Creed Industries for crying out loud…but yeah that was basically all he did, keep up with the accounts anymore. The board handled most of everything else, and had since they went public three years ago. That had been Bronwyn's decision.

"What's to…?" Angela came back into the room, a small bag packed in her hand.

"Dad, you're not trying to scare Todd are you?"

"No – why would an accountant be scary?" He muttered. Maybe it was time to get back to work. "So why don't you two come to dinner next week, I'll actually dig out the grill and cook something."

"Really?" 

"Yeah, really. It was nice meeting you Todd." He said, actually smiling at the boy.

"Oh – Dad, I hope you don't mind the short notice, but we want to get married in two weeks."

"Two WEEKS!? Why the rush?"

"Daddy!" She gave him that look.

"I guess you want me to pay for it, too?"

"No – well a little help maybe – but…"

"How much do you think you'll need?"

He could tell Todd was uncomfortable with the discussion, but staying out of it, wise boy.

"I don't know – I'll call you later this week and let you know once I start looking at things. He just proposed today."

"Call me." He walked them to the door and her arms slipped around his neck and she kissed him on the cheek – he could afford a wedding, if it made her smile like that.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Creed." Todd said as they walked to the rather expensive sedan parked in his driveway. He was going to have to check this Todd Baxter out.

XXXXXXXX

The boy checked out – he worked for an ad agency that his father owned. He had an excellent academic record, his work performance was surprisingly good, considering the family connections with his job, and his financial records were in the black, no outstanding debts, not even loans for school.

His Angel was happy, happier than he'd seen her since before her mother died, and even with the rush, he allowed himself to get wrapped up in the wedding plans. He still had urges to rip Todd a new ass hole every time he TOUCHED his little girl – but…he didn't have the room to talk, the boy actually loved her, doted on her as much as HE did, which said a lot, considering she was his only living child.

Her wedding day dawned clear and bright, and he ALMOST called the mansion, to see if he could call in a favor from Ororo to make it rain on the boy…but he didn't. She deserved a beautiful wedding day. The dress she'd chosen had set him back quite a bit – not that he couldn't afford it, but he cringed at anything costing that MUCH money for just one use.

It wasn't like he hadn't paid that for a weapon or two, back in the day, throwaway pieces for specific jobs, that were only used once, but for a fucking DRESS! Okay – so he had three suits that cost more, but he wore them at least once a week. He'd grumbled and groused and finally just paid for the dress and shut up. She'd given him the 'puppy' look.

It didn't hurt that she looked just like her mother in the dress either. He'd gotten something in his eye at the fitting; he hadn't been able to look at her after that, because his eyes were all blurry.

Now he was sitting in this little room, wondering if he had time to go and kill the groom before he actually TOUCHED his little girl, when she stepped from the dressing room and he had to look away again. Damn what the fuck was in his eye.

"Daddy, thank you." She whispered.

"You're welcome, Baby. I just wish your mother could be here."

"Me too – but I think she's watching." 

"I know she is." This time he couldn't pretend. She reached up and wiped the damned frail tear from his cheek. He caught the scent then, and bit back the growl. She was pregnant.

"I love you, Daddy." She whispered.

"I love you too, Baby." The familiar chords of music started and he had to steel himself to take that short walk, his little girl on his arm, and try to keep from ripping the arms off of the man he was about to give her to, the father of his grandchild.

He was standing there, and Victor felt a little better, Todd had to wipe a tear from his face too – the lucky bastard. Victor just hoped the kid knew just how damned lucky he was, he was not only still breathing, he was being given Victor Creed's most valuable possessions.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?" The minister said.

It took him three tries to get the response out, around the tight lump in his throat.

"Her mother and I do."

He lifted her veil, and kissed her on the cheek, before turning and sitting down in the pew. This afternoon was the reception, then they would leave for their honeymoon, and he – he would dig out the leathers he'd been repairing the last two weeks. There was no way in HELL he was going to have someone ask why anyone had to be afraid of an accountant when it was time for his grand daughter to get married.


	2. Chapter 2

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated one shot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 2 – New Beginnings

"You'll never believe this, Tad." Greg said as he handed her a stack of photographs.

"What am I looking at – if this is a joke, pulling up old photo's to try to get me to trigger an alert, then it isn't funny. I need to get this blood off and get into my dress for the wedding." She growled.

"Tad – these were taken three days ago, time and date stamped." He said, and she glanced at the pictures. They showed a large figure moving through the shadows of a rooftop, billowing cape behind it. It was the one clear shot of the face that had her frowning.

He was animalistic, snarling, almost as if he knew the camera was there – and he might have, IF the picture was real, and IF he'd reappeared. His black eyes didn't hold the same cold evil from older pictures, more annoyance at being caught.

"Who took this?"

"Automatic camera on the top of a building in New York."

"How'd we get it?"

"Janet works security at the building; she printed stills when she saw it."

"Do you think it's real – do you think he's back?"

"I don't know? There have been so many sightings, but they were all false alarms."

"You know what to do, Angel and Todd will kill me if they find out I missed the wedding to chase down a wild goose." She snapped.

"Tad – you might want to shower first." Greg said.

"Whatever – and don't tell either of them until after the honeymoon. They don't need to worry about Sabretooth while they are in Hawaii."

"You know – if he's back, and if he's not working for anyone, we might be able…"

"And what does Purgatory have to offer someone of Sabretooth's reputation? Just because we picked up the slack in New York while Xavier decided what he was going to do with the X-Men doesn't mean we have any reputation to speak of."

"There's always you."

"You are fucking funny, Greg. Next time we are near a volcano, remind me to shove you in, SnowCone." He was only a class two version of Iceman; most of them were under class three, but doing what they could to help out. The older X-Men were nearing retirement age, the second generation was having their children, and the oldest member of the third generation was six.

"Well – you are the only class five we have." He said. "Sabretooth has always looked for a challenge, maybe if you…"

"No – Angela's a class five feral, with that damned empathy; and I am NOT going to challenge THAT!" She pointed at the photograph.

"Why do you guys always play weaker than you are, you both could qualify for the X-Men if you wanted?"

"None of your business." She ducked into the women's shower, the zipper bag with her dress in it thrown over her shoulder. All the experts told her that she and Angel should never have been friends, much less roommates and best friends, two dominant alpha females should have been fighting over every scrap of territory they could manage. Tad thought it was more because they were different species, therefore could share territory. Angel was some sort of cat base, while they hadn't been able to figure out what animal Tad's mutation was based on.

The hot water rinsed the blood out of her hair, and off of her body. She'd soak it out later, after the reception, get it all out of her pores. She hated it when a mission went bad, and this time she'd had to kill someone; damned anti mutant gangbangers and their guns. She was going to be late to the wedding because she'd had to answer a million questions from the police. They'd decided it was self defense and let her go. She wasn't in a very good mood. She sure hoped Angel's dad had sprung for the good booze. She needed to get drunk.

XXXXXXXXXXX

He was sitting at the head table, watching the crowd in the room. Why they'd wanted to have the reception here he had no idea, but it made his Angel happy, so he would sit here and smile at their guests, and when they were gone – he'd go home, change clothes, and forget Victor Creed for a while. He only had to hold out against the animal a few short hours more, and then he could let it free.

He didn't know what he was going to do yet – to put the world on notice that he was back, but he had time to plan it, and the animal was screaming to hunt, screaming for the kill, to enjoy the burning heat of fresh blood spilling from his fingers as he ripped….He took a deep breath and forced the beast back down – not YET!

Something caught his eye, and nose. He wasn't sure, through the crowd, but he could swear he smelled a feral – and female at that. His eyes had caught a flash of green, something he couldn't resist, not since that first fund raiser with Bronwyn. A woman in green always caught his eye. The crowd cleared and he saw her talking to Angela and Todd. She was laughing, her head thrown back, and her scent hit him clearly this time. He had to meet her.

He stood up and walked through the crowd. He was just curious, he'd only met a few females with his mutation, of course he'd raised one, but that was different.

"…then I had to explain to the damned cops that the claws weren't just a fancy manicure." The three of them laughed again.

"Are you sure you're alright Tad?" Angel asked. Tad? That name sounded familiar, and then he remembered, Angel's roommate and best friend. Angel had told him the story of her name a couple years ago. Her parents had been determined that she was going to be a boy, so they had her birth certificate filled out before she was born. Her father had refused to change it when they found out she was a girl so her legal name was Thaddeus Eric Darius, Tad to her friends.

"Dad – you haven't met Tad have you?" Angel said as he walked up.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure." He smiled at his little girl, and felt the animal settle down. He'd promised Bronwyn that Sabretooth would stay locked away, and until this wedding was over, he was still under that promise.

"Tad this is my dad."

"Mr. Creed." She held out her hand, and he shook it. The beast wanted to snarl at her – challenge her, but he forced it down.

"Miss Darius." She looked at him a little strangely for a second, and then smiled.

He left the kids to talk and walked among the guests but he kept track of exactly where she was in the room. She'd peaked his curiosity, and even the beast was standing up and taking notice.

She'd found a table, near the bar, and from the scent of things she was working really hard at getting really drunk. He tried to ignore it, for now, he had all evening to keep an eye on her.

XXXXXXXXXX

She was trying to forget the strange thought that had crossed her mind when she met him. Angel had talked about her dad a hundred times, but Tad hadn't expected him to look so young – or so hot in that tux, with his tie loose, and the first button open. His hair was pulled back, but when he'd walked away she'd seen that it hung nearly to the middle of his back. Somehow her mind had flashed to the picture Greg had shown her and she'd felt a chill run down her back.

"Naaa – can't be." She muttered as she downed another glass of scotch.

"Can't be what?" His voice said from behind her.

"The good stuff." She said with a smile, as he sat down next to her.

"You sure are working your way through my booze." He grinned.

"Yeah – had a rough night."

"That bad?"

"Yeah – watched a guy get killed on my way home, and it's just hitting me a little hard."

"Oh…well I'm sure Angel and Todd wouldn't have minded if you hadn't shown up." He said as he signaled the bartender to bring more drinks to the table.

"Like hell – they're both my best friends, I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

"Just need to get blitzed, huh?"

"Yeah. Hope you don't mind."

"Nope – I could use a bit of that myself, and I hate to drink alone anymore."

"Have them leave the bottle." She said, as the bartender dropped off two glasses on the table. The party was starting to wind down, and everyone was waiting for Angel to throw the bouquet so they could get out of there.

"On one condition – you aren't driving anywhere." He said, as the bottle was set on the table.

"Trust me – I took a cab."

"Good girl." He said, and poured another round. Neither one of them said much, just emptied the bottle.


	3. Chapter 3

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated one shot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 3 – Embarrassments and Questions

He watched her sleep from the door, a possessive smile on his face. He knew it – he just couldn't stop grinning. She'd come out of nowhere, blindsided him, and suddenly here he was – another frail under his roof, one he was seriously thinking about keeping. He blamed Bronwyn. She'd made him comfortable about frails – women, and then she'd given him a daughter.

Angel had called last night, from Hawaii, to let him know they'd made it safe, and he'd told her what he'd done. He kept secrets from his daughter, but not about her friends. She'd been thrilled, which hadn't surprised him a bit, and encouraged him to try to convince Tad to stay. He was going to have to think about that, he didn't want a frail getting in his way, again. But watching her sleep stirred something protective inside him, something he'd only felt for Bron and Angel.

She was starting to stir, and he pushed off from the door frame and went down the stairs to the kitchen to cook breakfast. He grinned at Bron's portrait as he worked. She'd be proud of what he was planning, she'd agree the kid needed the break, and she would have enjoyed having Tad in the house. As long as the kid didn't ask too many questions, or poke her nose too far into his personal business, he thought they might get along.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She stretched; she didn't remember her bed being this comfortable – or warm. The sheets were soft on her bare skin – and that made her sit straight up. What the hell…?

She was in a bright room, the splash of yellow in the paint drawing the morning sunlight and bouncing it around the room, the cream carpet and white moldings helped to brighten the room. Whoever decorated it had done it with comfort in mind. The queen sized bed was piled high with a thick comforter, the chair in the corner's upholstery matched the fabric covered headboard, and the only thing that looked out of place in the room was her dress and underwear, folded neatly on the chair.

Where the hell was she? How had she gotten here? And…she took a scent and started to blush, why did she smell Angel's dad everywhere?

"OH GOD!" She moaned. She heard steps on the stairs and pulled the blanket up to her chin as he stepped into the door.

"You're awake." He grinned.

"What happened?" She asked, blushing.

"You were drunk." He laughed.

"How drunk?"

"Well you passed out at the reception, and I didn't know where to send you in a cab so I brought you back here. You got up some time in the night and took a shower; I could hear the water running. Breakfast is almost ready? Do you need something for a hangover, or does your factor take care of that?"

"Factor? Hangover? Shower? What?" Her head was still fuzzy.

"Healing factor, you are a feral mutant, right? Hangover – from last night. I'll get you some aspirin." He laughed.

"No – I'm not hung over, I'm just confused. I've never blacked out like this before."

"You went through about a case of scotch last night. I'm not surprised you blacked out – I might have blacked out with that much booze."

"Oh God." She just wanted to crawl under the blankets and hide.

"Angel's room is the second door on the right, here's a bath robe. She said you can borrow some of her stuff, until you decide what you are going to do."

"Decide? Did she call?"

"They made it to Hawaii safe. She told me about the apartment situation – that the lease was up and you didn't have any place to go after next Thursday."

"Damn it, Angel. I'm fine, I have plans, and I don't need any help." She muttered as he dropped the robe on the bed.

"I'm going to go finish breakfast; Angel said to borrow something this morning. She said she'd call you here later." He pushed off the doorway with his shoulder, and with a grin walked out of sight. She grabbed the robe and pulled it on. Her hair was certainly silent testament to having gone to bed with it wet, it was sticking out in every direction, her face was pale, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked like hell. At least she was sober. She ducked down the hall to Angel's room and dug through her closet for a pair of jeans and a sweater.

Todd had bought a house for them when they got back from Hawaii and she didn't have the money to keep up the apartment near campus. She had a couple other friends who had offered to let her stay with them, until she could find something permanent, even Angel and Todd had offered but she'd refused. She had resources, maybe not cash, but she had resources. She was always the odd ball in the trio, both Angel and Todd came from money, never had to worry about it, and while she and Angel lived together, Tad had always insisted on paying her half of everything. It was a pride thing more than anything else.

She took the borrowed clothes back to the room she'd been in and closed the door. She found the bathroom and ducked into the shower again to tame her hair. She groaned under the hot water, letting it relax her a bit before she climbed out and ran a brush through her wet hair. She didn't have any makeup with her, so she stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped under her arms, around her body. She was gathering up her things from the night before when the door opened again.

"Sorry." He muttered. "Breakfast is ready."

"Thanks, I'll be down in a minute." She blushed and he quickly closed the door.

She dressed quickly, and bundled up her dress and shoes to take back to the apartment. She had some packing to do before she moved out next week. Angel's things had already been moved to the new house, so it was basically her bedroom and the few things she owned from the kitchen that had to be moved.

She frowned at the shoes she'd borrowed from Angel – they never had been able to share shoes, Angel's feet were a couple sizes bigger, but they would do. She walked out the door, and the smell of breakfast hit her. Her stomach grumbled and she grimaced. Breakfast wasn't a bad idea, even if all she wanted to do was call a cab and get the hell out of this situation.

He was sliding a plate onto the far side of the breakfast bar in the kitchen when she walked in. She just climbed onto the barstool and set her bundle in the neighboring one. She still wasn't completely clear about what had happened. She glanced around and noticed the painting hung where it was visible from most points in the living and kitchen area.

"Angel's mom?" She asked, pointing at the portrait.

"Yeah." He smiled at the painting and she could see just how much he loved the woman in it, it was written all over his face. "I still miss her."

He sat down across the bar from her, his own plate in front of him. Hers was piled up with an omelet, bacon, sausage and hash browns, with toast on the side. She would never eat all of that.

"You need to eat – getting drunk like that is like taking a bullet or any other life threatening injury, you have to feed the factor so that it will get back to normal quickly. You're still pale, which means the factor's not working right."

"How did you know?"

"About your mutation, I could smell it."

"About the healing factor, I can smell mutation too, but I can't tell what type."

"I have a few more years experience on you – and I raised one." She shrugged her shoulders, he had a point.

"I know ferals that don't have healing factors." She said.

"Yeah – but they don't drink a case of scotch to get totally drunk either…that puts you, what about class four – five."

"Class five…how did you…?"

"I've been around." He grinned as he ate his own huge breakfast. She glanced down at her plate, half the omelet was gone already, and she hadn't even noticed.

'This is good." She said, as she took another bite.

"So about that apartment situation…"

"I don't know what Angel said, but I'm fine, really. I have a couple friends that have offered to let me room with them until I can get back on my feet."

"It's rough losing your job like that, right now."

"It was a lay off, nothing I could do." She muttered.

"Maybe I can help."

"No offense, Mr. Creed, but I'm fine really." She tried to bite back the snarl but it slipped out.

"Alright – but the offer's open if you need it. Now there's something else I wanted to discuss with you."

"What?"

"That thing that had you drinking last night – you didn't just watch, did you?"

"What?"

"There's still blood under your fingernails."

"Shit!" She muttered and saw the faint ridge. She'd been in such a rush she'd forgotten to brush her nails after her shower before the wedding.

"I mentioned it to Angel last night, and she asked me to look after you – made me promise, actually, so you're stuck with me until they get back."

"What?"

"She let it slip that this wasn't the first time." His eyes were hard, and she felt that chill again, he couldn't be.

"No, it's not the first time, and probably won't be the last."

"I'm not sure I like the idea that my daughter's roommate has blood on her hands."

"He pulled a gun, it was self defense." She said. She didn't want to tell him the whole thing – about the group, or the kids she'd been protecting.

"The other times?"

"Self defense."

"I'm a feral – I know how the rage can get out of control, I don't buy it."

"I have it under control. The first time, I was sixteen, and a guy had a knife to my throat trying to rape me, alright."

"Only two?"

"Three."

"The second?"

"None of your business."

"Does Angel know?"

"Yes."

"Then she'll tell me – you're under my protection, so it is my business." She groaned. She didn't want his protection. She had enough to do, and didn't need Angel's middle aged dad in the middle of her business. Not that he looked middle aged, he looked like some kind of avenging god, his eyes flashing black and hard, his lips curled into a snarl, and suddenly it hit her.

"You're Sabretooth." The words slipped out.

"Heh – well…yeah, I was."

"I…you're coming out of retirement." He was startled by the statement, she could tell.

"How did you figure that out?"

"You were caught on video, four nights ago, a friend of mine works security at the building; she made copies of the stills."

"I have a feeling there's more to this than just another 'Sabretooth sighting' picture."

"Are you coming out of retirement?"

"What if I am?"

"Does Angel know – who you are?"

"Yeah – I'm her father."

"Does she know about Sabretooth?"

"No – her mother and I decided that she didn't need to know. She had enough things that made her different, without adding 'Sabretooth's Daughter' to the mix."

"What do you mean things that made her different?"

"She inherited both of our mutations, which is unusual. Her mother and I owned the largest investment firm on Fifth Avenue, but we always told her we were just accountants. She knew we made good money – but had no idea exactly how much we were worth, until her mother died, and Angel inherited her half of everything. We wanted her to fit in as well as she could."

"I knew she'd been weird about money the last year, but I had no idea why."

"What do you mean weird?"

"Ordering things that I knew we couldn't afford, making promises I didn't know how we were going to keep."

"Why do I have a feeling we aren't talking about the apartment?"

She took a deep breath. Greg thought he might help them, and evidently he didn't know about his daughter's involvement…

"There's a group on campus, we call ourselves Purgatory. We are the place…"

"In between, I know what the word means. What do you do?"

"Mostly fill in the blanks, at least in New York. The X-Men are in a transition right now, they're only handling the big stuff, and there are smaller groups that deal with the day to day situations of mutants, we take the stuff in between."

"Like taking on guys with guns?"

"I didn't know he had a gun, at the time. We got a call – I won't say from who – but a kid was manifesting a powerful mutation. They were runaways, hiding on the streets of New York. I found her and her brother and was taking them back to the campus, when this anti mutant gang started giving us problems. I tried talking first, but this guy pulled a gun and pointed it at an eleven year old girl. I wasn't going to let him kill her. In the fight, I nicked his jugular with a claw."

"So you're pullin' shit like the X-Men?"

"Not exactly, I mean if we see something that needs to be stopped, we don't wait. I guess you can say that's another point that we are in between. We don't start trouble, but we finish it."

"I like that." He said as he scrapped his plate and grabbed hers. She glanced down, the last half of the last piece of bacon was in her hand, and the plate was empty. "I told ya."

He rinsed the dishes and stacked them neatly in the dishwasher.

"So you gonna take me up on my offer?"

"What offer, exactly?"

"Rent a room from me, stay out of trouble, until Angel and Todd get back, and then we can discuss these extracurricular activities you girls have been up to."

"Girls…" She laughed. "Angel and Todd are the ringleaders, there are about twenty of us, on campus, Angel and I are the only ones over a class three, but we make do with what we've got."

"Todd and I are definitely having a talk when he gets back…my daughter's not doin' this shit while she's pregnant."

"Angel's pregnant?"

"You didn't smell it at the wedding?"

"I was a little out of it at the wedding."

"I figure a couple days, maybe a week. She wasn't when she introduced me to Todd."

"Ahhh…she's gonna be pissed."

"Why?"

"She'll have to go on the inactive roster." Tad grinned. Served Angel right, the inactive roster was her idea.

"So about that offer?"

"Okay – here's my counter offer. I'll rent a room until Angel and Todd get back, YOU stay out of my business, and I will continue with what I'm doing, I have twenty people depending on me."

"Counter to your counter. You rent a room – for as long as I say. I'll stay out of your personal business, but anything you do with Purgatory, I'm comin' along."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Done." Greg would be THRILLED.


	4. Chapter 4

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 1 – Late Night Confrontations

She slipped her key into the lock. She hoped he'd be in bed, asleep, so she wouldn't have to answer any questions. He was worse than Angel and Todd rolled into one.

"Two o'clock – what class ends at two o'clock in the morning." He said from his chair in the living room. She groaned. He was worse than her father.

"The kind that involves friends – particularly a guy friend." She lied. She'd snuck out to take care of some Purgatory business, not a mission, just going over files and stuff with Greg.

She heard his sharp intake of breath.

"I think your guy needs to grow some balls – he kept you out until two o'clock, and didn't even get laid." She wanted to sink into the floor. She was wondering if this is what Angel had grown up with.

"Fine – I was going over files with Greg – you happy now." She growled, the vibration traveling through her whole body.

"I thought we agreed that anything to do with Purgatory, I came along." He snarled.

"I honestly didn't think you wanted to sit for eight hours going over paperwork." She snapped.

He chuckled at that. "Get some sleep – don't you have a final tomorrow?"

"You are worse than my DAD!" She snarled and headed up the stairs. This living arrangement wasn't working out. He was – worse than her Dad and he'd been a God damned drill instructor.

She closed her bedroom door and started stripping her clothes off when she heard his voice downstairs.

"This ain't workin' Baby." He said. "She's a good kid, but I need more than this – more than sitting at home, waiting on the kids to come home."

"I know what you'd say. 'Give it time, let him wake up slowly.' But Baby, he never does anything slowly, you should know that."

He was talking to the portrait again. He did that a lot, when he thought she couldn't hear him, or was asleep. She knew he was talking about Sabretooth, she understood exactly what he was talking about too. That animal part of her was almost like a second personality – identity inside her, and there were times it wanted full control, and she had to fight to keep from giving in. Sabretooth was dangerous, and she was almost afraid of what might happen if he woke up fully, and took control. Victor was nice – in a worried father kind of way, but Sabretooth was an unknown element, and one she wasn't quite ready to face.

She knew Angel and Todd were due back from Hawaii in a week. Once they were back, she could worry about getting back on her feet, with school, and Purgatory, and keeping an eye on Angel's dad, Tad's hands were full.

She glanced at her cell phone. She'd left it here hoping for some uninterrupted time to go over things. The last week had been hectic, and her parents weren't helping things. Her father was insisting she come home, back under his roof – and back under his control. That wasn't going to happen, but he was certainly pouring on both the orders – and the guilt. The little message icon was on the screen and she groaned.

She picked it up and hit the button for her voicemail.

"Tad, its Angel we're coming back early, we should be in tomorrow morning, don't tell Dad I want it to be a surprise. We are coming straight there; I know your class isn't until four tomorrow so wait for me at the house."

Something was going on. Why were they coming back early?

"Thaddeus – your mother needs you here, I refuse to play nursemaid another day, that's women's work. I don't care about promises or anything else, get your little ass home, young lady and do your part." She wanted to throw the phone against the wall. He was such an ASS! It wasn't like her mother was really sick, she'd broken her ankle, and he was having to take care of her and didn't like it.

"Tad – its Greg, I know you just left, but I'm worried. I tried to call Janet after you left and there was no answer at her apartment. Call me." She glanced at the clock, and dialed his number.

"Greg – what's going on?"

"I've been trying to call Janet all evening, I just thought she was working the late shift at the building, but I called over there, she never reported for work, there's no answer at her apartment and her cell phone's off." He and Janet were on again off again – on right now.

"I'll call her."

"I want you to go check on her."

"I can't – that takes a car or train fare." She muttered.

"I'll pay you back tomorrow – take a cab if you have to."

"GREG!"

"Please – I'm worried. She never goes this long without checking in – even when she's pissed at me." That was the ONLY thing that had her even considering this. Janet was a creature of habit, and calling to check in with Purgatory was one habit they counted on.

"Fine – it's going to be a long day tomorrow, I have that damned sociology final." She grumbled.

"I'm sorry – but you're the only one I trust with this, until Angel and Todd get back."

She thought about the man downstairs and grinned, he needed to get out of the house. "Fine – we'll take care of it."

"WE?" She'd been keeping her discovery to herself, at least until she'd decided if she could really trust Victor or not."

"Don't worry about it – we've got it covered." She hung up the phone and grabbed her shirt – so much for sleep tonight.

She opened the door and he was standing right there.

"We?"

"Get dressed – Sabretooth, Janet's in trouble."

"I'm not pulling my leathers out for a health and wellness check." He grumbled.

"Fine, but Janet never misses a check in – she's obsessive/compulsive. She's probably going NUTS right about now because her schedule is off, and the only thing that would make her schedule off is if something happened."

"She's that reliable."

"Like clockwork."

"I'll get my stuff." He walked down the hall to the master bedroom door. At least with him driving, she wouldn't have to pay a cab.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He pulled on his leathers, and could feel that part of his mind that he'd blocked off stirring with anticipation. The beast was going to get to run – maybe even to play a bit, and he still wasn't entirely sure he wanted to let it out again.

She was downstairs waiting on him, and her gasp as she saw him almost made him go upstairs and change.

"WOW! I wasn't completely convinced – but I am now…what a transformation." He growled at her, and grabbed the keys to the car.

"Shut up kid." He snarled.

"Right." She actually GRINNED at him, and opened the front door for him – he almost swiped her with a claw when she actually bowed him out the door. "After YOU!"

"Funny."

"I'm not sure I want to turn my back on you." She said – and he caught the tinge of uncertainty in her scent.

"Fair enough, get your ass in the car, Frail." He snarled.

The drive into the city was quiet – almost too quiet, he could hear her heartbeat, steady, not a fast fear filled rhythm, which was surprising. He could smell her; she was calm, a little uncertain, but certainly not afraid – or anticipatory. He needed to work on that, frails should FEAR him. He felt a surge from the beast – still in its cage, and knew it was awake – and aware of the girl in the car next to him. That worried him, just a little.

He wasn't going to let the beast loose completely – until she was out from under his roof. He'd been tormented with dreams of her screaming and bloody as he subdued her, bent her body and will to his, forcing her to give into his dominance, and he'd been glad she either hadn't noticed his scent – or was giving him his space.

She directed him to a part of town he wasn't completely familiar with. He pulled over and parked.

"Wait here – I'll go up to her apartment, see if I can figure out what's going on." She reached to open the door.

"You really think I'm stupid, don't you." He snarled.

"No – if she's there and alright, there's no need to panic here with Sabretooth on her doorstep. She's freaked enough about the pictures."

"Pictures?"

"She's the one that gave us the stills – of you – on the roof."

"OH!" Maybe she was right – the beast inside him wasn't going to give in so easily though. "I'm still coming with you."

"Fine – if she panics it's your fault." Tad said as she opened the door.

She buzzed the apartment first but got no answer, so she dug out a ring of keys.

"Do you have keys to everyone's apartments?"

"Not exactly, this is for emergencies – kind of like this. Whoever is in charge has them; I'll give them back to Todd when they get home."

"Oh." She actually sounded relieved that she'd be able to give it up. He wondered about that, there was more to this girl than met the eye.

"How sick's your mother?" He asked as she opened the door.

"She broke her ankle. How many of my messages did you eavesdrop on?" She snarled.

"All of them – I'll act appropriately surprised in the morning when my daughter shows up unannounced." He could hear her muttering as they climbed the stairs.

On the third floor she went to one of the doors and reached to insert the key – but the door opened on its own. The latch had been broken. He lunged forward, pushing her back behind him, as he pushed the door open slowly with his leather covered arm. The apartment had been ransacked; it smelled like at least three men, and a terrified frail. He was assuming that scent was Janet. He did a double take – he KNEW one of those scents. He'd thought he was dead – killed by his mother years ago.

Suddenly this entire thing became very personal. He had to be nearing seventy – what was he doing terrorizing young mutant girls. He was going to have a very serious talk with his errant son when he got his hands on him.

"What?"

"She's gone – but I have a good idea where."

"Oh?"

"Church of Humanity, most likely."

"Why would the Church be interested in Janet?"

"It's not Janet they want."

"What?"

"It's me." He snarled. How Graydon had found out that he was back – he didn't know, but the fact that his son was here – and after the woman that had the pictures of Victor on that roof made him angry.

"Why would the Church want you? They hate mutants." Tad said.

"Yeah – well Graydon and I go way back – I thought he was dead."

"Graydon – Graydon Creed?"

"Yeah."

"He is – as far as we know, Mystique killed him about fifteen years ago." Tad said.

"I smell him here – and I'd know his scent."

"How?"

'He's my son."

"Oh SHIT!"

"And before you ask, NO, Angel doesn't know."

"Can we worry about Angel later – I'm more worried about Janet now." Tad said sharply.

"They went out the door – and took her with them." He slipped back out into the hallway. "Back stairs." She followed him – he knew she could pick up the scent as easily as he could, but he wanted to be in front.

He jumped the stairs a flight at a time, and she just chuckled behind him, taking them at a more sedate, ladylike pace. He scowled at her, but kept moving. She'd just have to keep up. He was outside the back door of the building, waiting for her. He'd caught their scent. They'd gone down the alley, and out to the main street – still on foot. The girl's scent was there but faint, she was either being carried – or they were covering her tracks with theirs.

"Now where, Tonto." Tad said as she came out the door.

"Street – that way." He took off, and she followed behind. They'd gone left, one of them split off, but it wasn't the one with the girl, or Graydon so he let it go. He followed the scent to the curb of the next intersection, where it stopped.

"They got into a car?" He snarled.

She glanced down at the curb, and picked up a small piece of fabric."

"This is from Janet's work jacket." She said.

"Did she leave it – or was she fighting them?" He asked.

"I can't tell. There's a church near here, about five blocks. If they took her late, they probably transported her in the car so they wouldn't be seen."

"Let's go, Kemosabe." He snarled. She grinned at him and they both took off running down the nearly deserted street.

He could smell them before he reached the building – one of them was outside, smoking, and he let a feral grin cross his face. Maybe – just maybe he'd have some fun. He signaled her to stay put and he slipped silently down the alley. People were always amazed at how quietly – and invisibly he could move. The man didn't even know what hit him, and Sabretooth woke with a silent grin at the terror on the man's face. His claws were itching, and he let them feel it – the hot flow of blood over his fingertips as he dug the claws deep into the man's throat, silencing him forever. He sighed – the coppery tang and warm sticky fluid making his inner beast purr. The only thing that would make it better would be a frail…and there was one of those available.

"Hey." She whispered.

"They have the girl inside." He snarled low, the clenching in his gut as he caught Tad's scent only adding to his enjoyment of the moment – the pleasure of the kill. He gestured with his head toward the door behind him – shielding the body of the man from her. She just glared at him – and at the body, before going into the door. She wasn't going to judge him – he grinned. Maybe she could be taught after all.

They made their way – silently, which surprised him; he honestly didn't think the female feral could be as quiet as he was; up to the choir loft over the altar of the church. The girl was tied, and gagged. Graydon was standing over her, a gun in his hand. He could swear Myst killed that son of a bitch – but there he was, and not looking a day over sixty. He was confused – but wasn't going to allow that to stop him from finishing the job.

He dropped down, his deerskin cape flowing behind him as he landed in a crouch.

"Hello – Graydon. Lookin' for me?"

"Are you alone, Old Man?" Graydon sneered.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sabretooth sneered back. This useless piece of human flesh was finally going to die and stay dead.

"I was just wondering if they sent you alone – or if her friends came with you. How else would you know I was looking – or where to find me. Tell me – is poor Rand dead – or is you beast still caged by my step-mother's memory."

"If you mean the idiot by the door – this is his." He held up his bloodstained hands.

"Welcome back, Father." Graydon grinned. "I always knew you wouldn't last much after that witch you were married to died. Tell me how she did it, caged you for thirty years. It wasn't anything as stupid as love was it."

"You never did have much of a concept of honor, Gray." Victor snarled. The beast backed off, it never much cared for Graydon – but Victor wouldn't allow anyone to tarnish his Bronwyn, even in death.

"Tell me – have you met the little feral they have running things. I hear she's quite a looker – and deadly in bed." He grinned. Victor barely registered the slight gasp from the loft above him.

"Who do you mean – they have two ferals running that show."

"Two? I only know about one – the one with the man's name. Thaddeus, isn't it?"

"Tad – I've met her." Victor straightened to his full height and looked down his nose at his son. He ignored the gasp from the bound girl as well as she got a good look at his face. At least Graydon didn't know about Angela – yet.

"So what do you want, Gray? Money? My blood? Me to kill your mother for trying to kill you? What makes you tick these days, Graydon?" He walked to one of the pews and sat down, crossing his ankles in front of him. Graydon always was a talker – not a man of action.

"Money might be nice – Mystique's blood would definitely be nice – but no, I want you DEAD!" He snarled, and turned the gun on Victor, firing. He'd seen the move coming and dodged so that the bullet only grazed his side, lodging against a rib in the back, he'd get it out later.

"Stupid old man, you're forgetting things in your old age. Now what good will…" He could feel it, something wrong. He shook his head and looked down at his side. The wound was still bleeding – and wasn't healing at all. "What the fuck?"

"A little discovery I've made – something that stops the healing factor – among other things. I thought it would be appropriate to try it on you – before I took out the rest of my beloved family…including that little bitch you spawned, Angel." He sneered, walking to stand in front of Victor.

His head was spinning – not from blood loss but from something else. He shook his head, how the hell did Graydon know about Angel? Victor couldn't seem to move, and Graydon raised the gun again, and took careful aim. Victor had a sudden thought – at least he'd be with Bronwyn now, as he heard the rapport.

He couldn't make any sense out of what he was seeing, Graydon was on the ground, his head at an odd angle, and Tad was crouched on his body, her claws slipping out of his back, covered in blood.

"Victor?" The sound was slurred and elongated. She slapped him across the face but he didn't even feel it. His eyes slipped shut.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"SHIT!" Tad groaned as he slipped into unconsciousness. "Now I'm gonna have to carry his ass six blocks to the car."

She reached down and picked up the gun out of the dead man's hands. She watched as the body started melting. What the FUCK was going on?

"Janet – are you alright?" She asked, running over to her friend.

She ripped the tape off the girl's mouth.

"THAT'S SABRETOOTH!" She screamed.

"Yeah – it is and I need your help getting him home."

"HOME! Don't we need to turn him in – let the cops deal with it."

"Actually – no, he's working with us." Tad grinned.

"WHAT!?" Janet screamed

"Will you stop that please and help me move him." The body that Victor had called Graydon was almost completely gone. She didn't know what happened, but she needed to get Victor where she could see his injury.

"Okay." At least Janet was a class one telekinetic – and was able to relieve a little of the weight of carrying Victor's massive body. They managed to get him to the car, and Tad cut through the bloody leathers to find the bullet lodged against his rib. She used her claws and cut it out. It felt slimy and slick and seemed to move in her hand, almost as if it was alive, and she quickly dropped it into a scrap of the leather and wrapped it up. They'd send it to Xavier's for analysis later. Right now she needed to see if getting it out helped him – at all.

He moaned about five minutes later and opened his eyes.

"What the fuck?" He muttered. "How'd I get here?"

"We carried you, dumb ass." Tad snapped at him, Janet looked at her in shock.

"You alright kid – where's Graydon?"

"His body it just – melted disappeared." She said, the memory of that scene making her shiver.

"Shit – he was some kind of clone or something. What the FUCK is going on?"

"I don't know – but whoever created him – knows about me and Angel and now you, and has developed a way – if not to kill us – to at least take us down for the count."

"Let's get home – I know a couple people that can…" He shook his head.

"Okay – but you are NOT driving." She said and snatched the keys from him. He glared but didn't argue. "Janet – back seat." The other girl didn't even bother arguing. Tad turned the engine over and took off. They needed to get this to Greg – and Xavier and fast.


	5. Chapter 5

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 5 – I Got Your Back

She could still smell the blood in the car. He was still bleeding. The compress she put on it hadn't even slowed it down, it was as if his blood wasn't clotting at all. She passed the exit for the house on the highway, and he just glared at her, but didn't say anything. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

"You're not supposed to use that and drive." Janet said from the back seat.

"SHUT UP!" They both snarled to the girl in the back.

She dialed the number from memory.

"Xavier's" a gruff voice said on the other end. Great – Wolverine was in residence.

"This is Tad, with Purgatory; I've got an injured mutant – and something Xavier is going to want to see." She said.

"I'll have medlab on standby, what type of mutant so we know what to be ready for?"

"Feral – with a healing factor, but it's not working on this injury."

"Feral? I only know of two with Purgatory – and you're one, Tad?"

"It's Angel's father." She just hoped to hell he didn't know who that was.

"CREED!" So much for that hope.

"Give me that." He snarled next to her and snatched the phone. "What kind of a welcome back is that, Runt?"

She could hear the sputtering on the other end of the phone.

"If you hurt any of those kids, Creed, I'll gut you myself."

"Logan – back off, I'm not in the mood for your crap. No one is hurt but ME, damn it."

"How bad?"

"Grazed my side, bullet lodged under the rib, we got it out but the wound's not healing." She watched him dig the claw from one hand into the palm of the other and watched the wound close without problems. "Factor's workin' on everything else, just nothin' the bullet touched."

"I'll get Hank up and in the lab when you get here. Tell Tad, Xavier wants her in his office as soon as she gets here – Janet too."

"I'm sure she heard it, Runt." He snarled, and clicked the phone off. "No offense – kid, but you drive like an old woman."

"Shut the fuck up and try not to bleed on everything." She snarled back.

She heard a gasp from the back seat. She glanced back and saw Janet's eyes were as wide as saucers. She just shrugged; she wasn't in the mood for explanations. Janet would either get with the program or not. She knew how much Tad hated making this drive.

She pulled up to the gate, and it swung open without a protest. She just drove the car right up to the front door. Victor barely waited until she came to a stop before opening the door and stumbling out. The entire door and side of the seat was caked in blood. It was seeping from under the bandage she'd put on his side, and she noticed that his face was growing paler.

"Creed." She heard a snarl from the door.

"Wolverine." He snarled back, before nearly collapsing. Logan caught him, and started dragging him inside.

"Medlab's set up and waiting. Xavier's in his office – you two move." Logan snapped at them as he helped Victor to the elevator down to the lower levels. Tad walked across the familiar entry way and into the imposing door she'd learned to fear.

He was sitting behind his desk, impeccably dressed; only the dark circles under his aging eyes any indication of the disturbed slumber.

"An explanation?"

"Greg called me, Janet wasn't responding to cells or her home phone, she didn't show up for work, and he was worried. He wanted me to go check on her. Victor's been – I don't know – quiet the last few days, I thought it would be a good idea for him to go with me, and I wouldn't have to pay for a cab out of what little is left of my savings."

"You encouraged Sabretooth to go on a mission with you?"

"Encouraged – no, I couldn't have left him at the house to save my life. He wanted to go. And it was a good thing he did." She said defensively

"A good thing – two people dead, Victor wounded, with a wound that won't heal, and it's a good thing?" Charles gave her that look, the one that said he was disappointed in her. She HATED that look.

"One of those two had a gun – and was pointing it at Janet, who CAN'T heal, remember." She snapped.

"That is not the point, Tad."

"NO, the point is that you don't like it. Well, you know what, I'm not one of your X-Men, and Purgatory is working WITH you not FOR you so if you don't like how we handle things, fine, but we are still going to do things our way. I had a person in danger, and took the most efficient way possible to eliminate that danger."

"As usuall we will agree to disagree on your methods. This injury – do you have what caused it?"

"Yes – the bullet is in an envelope I found in the car, the gun is here and it still has bullets like that in it. I lost the one that shot into the air when I landed on whatever it was that shot Victor."

"Whatever it was?"

"He said it was Graydon, but when it died it just kind of melted, not like a body but like something…not human, not alive."

"Graydon Creed died fifteen years ago."

"That's what Victor thought, but this thing knew him. I don't know it was weird – and that bullet is creepy. IT feels alive." She remembered feeling like the bullet was trying to slip from her hands.

"Professor, do you have the weapon that did this." Dr. McCoy stepped into the room.

"Here." He handed the blue mutant the gun and the envelope with the bullet.

"I've never seen anything like it. His factor is working on everything except the tissue damaged by the projectile. It is as if that tissue is no longer affected by his mutation."

"You could cauterize it. Burn off the tissue that is damaged and see if his factor will heal the burned tissue." Janet said quietly.

"That is actually the next step I was considering, however, cauterizing Sabretooth is always a dangerous endeavor."

"Tell him it was my idea, Hank." Tad said, grinning at her former mentor.

He chuckled. "Even I am not completely without mercy, however that suggestion has merit."

He left the room still chuckling.

"Did you happen to get any samples of the being you killed?" Charles was giving her THAT look again.

"Other than what's on my hands, no." She said, her instincts screaming at her to find an exit. She hadn't ever been able to live up to Xavier's standards. He'd given her a chance, after the first time, but she'd been removed from the training program the second time she'd bloodied her hands. Her death count was climbing, and his disapproval was growing in proportion.

"Before you leave, have Hank take a sample."

"I will." The roar echoed through the school and Tad winced at his obvious pain. Didn't they know how to deaden the area BEFORE burning it?

"Victor's blood is on your hands, Tad."

She just glared at the old man. She was feeling guilty enough, and he had to go and make it worse. Not only had she gone and gotten him hurt, but he was her best friend's father, and she was going to have to explain to Angel why and how her father was shot.

"That will be all, Janet." He said gently to the still frightened girl. "Someone will take you back to the campus tonight. Tad you will remain, I have a few more things to say to you."

She just shrugged. Janet stood up and walked out, closing the door behind her.

"Tad – your 'domestic arrangement' is unsafe. I would like you to look for other living quarters as soon as possible." He was using that tone – the one that he used when he was trying to convey concern, instead of an order. He just hadn't gotten used to the idea that she wasn't taking orders from him anymore.

"My living arrangement is my business, and I like it the way it is."

"Sabretooth is awake, and will NOT be contained much longer, if he is still contained at all. The change in Victor over the last thirty years has been amazing. I was trepidations about him marrying Bronwyn, but she actually seemed to have instilled some sense of moral guidance in him, and they both have instilled it in their living child."

"Living?"

"Bronwyn and Victor had a son that didn't survive infancy."

"Oh, I had no idea, Angel never mentioned a brother."

"He was born before she was. I don't even know if she knows. His name was Daniel."

"How old was he, when he died."

"Eighteen months."

"Oh."

"I do consider Victor a friend, Thaddeus, and am concerned for his wellbeing. Sabretooth awakening now, so soon after Bronwyn's lose is dangerous. Victor has lost his wife, and Sabretooth has lost a jailor. I always felt the conflict, he hid it well, from his wife, but he would come here, when he thought he would lose control. That was before you came, in the beginning, his control over the beast was stronger, the longer they were together and happy, and Angel put the seal on his jail. Now with Bronwyn gone, and Angel no longer his responsibility, Sabretooth is craving freedom – and I am afraid, a bit of revenge against Victor."

"What does that have to do with me renting a room from him?"

"Tad you are a female – living under his roof, and close to the one Sabretooth considers his last living jailor, you will be a primary target. That you are also a feral – and already in a domestic situation, Sabretooth's instincts will see you either as a threat – or a potential mate, both situations are extremely dangerous."

"I'm not picking up any of that at all; tonight he was more annoyed than anything, that I was slowing him down. I think you are misreading all of this, Charles. Or looking for monsters where they don't exist. I mean – yeah he killed someone tonight, but that someone was a threat, and had already threatened and kidnapped one of our members, I don't consider any of his actions tonight unjustified." She heard the door open behind her but didn't glance back. "Sabretooth or Victor or both I don't care, he did good tonight, I'm sorry he got hurt, but I'm not worried about having him at my back anymore either."

"That's good ta hear." He said from behind her. She glanced back at him and he lifted his shirt to show her the puckered scar. "Didn't heal completely, and I'll have a fucking scar for it, but it healed after they burned that crap out."

"Sorry."

"Yeah McCoy told me it was your idea…Keys."

"What?"

"Keys to the car – you ain't drivin' home, grandma."

"Fine but I'm riding in the back, there's no way in hell I'm sitting in your blood."

"Fine – but don't get used to chauffer service." She threw him the keys from her pocket.

"We done here?" She glared at Charles.

"For now, Tad, but I will be keeping a close eye on things."

"Yeah – I'm used to that." She snarled and turned on her heel, storming past Victor, She stepped into the elevator, letting the doors shut out the sounds of the mansion she'd left behind her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Charles – stay out of my personal life." Victor snarled at the man behind the desk.

"What personal life."

"My relationship with my daughter – for starters."

"And what does Tad have to do with that?"

"She's Angel's friend, I'm lookin' after her till Angela and Todd get back, so leave her the fuck alone."

"Sabretooth – she's not…"

"You still don't get it. I locked it away, that part of me, but we aren't separate. I AM Sabretooth and Victor all at the same time. Just because I was able to put that part away doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to letting it back out. I locked it up for Bronwyn, not you – not your school – not your ideals. I frankly think you are a namby pamby do-gooder who has no idea how the real world works. These kids are at least TRYING to do something to help. So stay the fuck out of it."

"We aren't talking about me – or you. We are talking about Thaddeus."

"She's mine to take care of – at least until my daughter gets back…we'll see where things go from there."

"Victor."

"Charles."

"She's not as strong as you."

"I already got that – I can smell how fragile she is. I frankly don't know what's holding her together sometimes. This is going to be rough on her; I'll get out of her exactly what's bothering her – eventually. She doesn't need your crap – or your guilt, so stay away from my girl."

With those words echoing in the room he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Logan was leaning on the banister as he slammed the office door behind him.

"She's downstairs."

"I know."

"She's a good kid."

"I know."

"Be careful."

"I know." He turned and walked out the front doors, and climbed into the driver's seat of the car to wait. She came out not long after and climbed silently into the back of the car. He just started it, and drove off. He noticed she didn't even look back.

"So – how long were you a student?"

"My parents sent me not long after my mutation manifested, at sixteen." She said quietly.

"I take it you and Charles don't get along?"

"Not really."

"Sixteen – after you killed the first time." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." He waited but she didn't say anymore.

"So what ten years…"

"I was a student until I graduated from High School, Todd too if you must know. We both decided to go to college, and I was assigned Angel as my roommate. I was still in training at the mansion, but I'd go to class, and then back to the mansion, and then back to the campus. Charles wanted us to move back, but we liked the freedom of living on campus, then after the…he asked me to leave."

"After the second one?"

"Yeah."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No – I told you that."

"Alright. I got your back – you did good out there tonight – yourself. And don't let Charles scare ya, you're in no danger under my roof."

"Thanks." He could tell she meant it, so he just shut up, and drove home.


	6. Chapter 6

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 6 – DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Angel and Todd should be here in a couple hours – why don't you go upstairs and sleep till they get here at least." He said as he opened the door. She was dragging behind him and he could smell just how tired she was.

"Thanks – I think I will; I still have that final this afternoon." He watched her slumped shoulders climb the stairs before walking into the living room and sitting down in his favorite chair.

"Well – I've picked up another one, Baby." He said to the portrait. He still expected to hear her voice sometimes. "And this one's running scared – worse than Daniel was when I found him. I like this kid, she's smart, she's got guts, but there is something broken there, and I want ta help fix it."

She'd taught him that – about fixing things and how good it could feel to accomplish something. He'd always enjoyed projects, taken satisfaction in knowing he'd done a good job, but it had been Bronwyn who taught him the joy of repairing something – or someone. Things had been rough after the first baby died. He'd nearly lost her then…she hadn't thought she could take anymore. But she got through, she went on, they had Angel, and then the doctors told her no more. She'd cried for a week, when they told her, but then she'd concentrated on Angel, and he thought she'd been happy.

He remembered as he moved through the house, straightening up. Those had been the rough times, the times when he just wanted to rip something to shreds. He'd gone to Xavier's to use the Danger Room, to get it out so he didn't let it out at home. Charles had thought he'd had trouble controlling it – he'd had trouble controlling his own grief, disappointment, and hadn't wanted Bronwyn to know. She'd been depressed enough; she hadn't needed his added to it.

He thought about what Charles said to Tad today as he stacked magazines on the coffee table. He thought she was in danger living with him, that he'd see her as a threat – or a potential mate. Maybe, someday, but right now all he saw was a hurting kid that needed someone. Her best friends had married each other, her parents weren't very supportive, if anything her father was downright destructive, and the only other place she'd ever felt safe had thrown her away for some unknown reason. Victor didn't care why; she needed safety, support, and someplace to feel secure.

Something the Graydon thing had said was bothering him. He'd known about her, more detailed knowledge than anyone else. Somehow, he was beginning to think this whole thing wasn't aimed at him or his family, but at her. And somehow it had something to do with what she didn't want to talk about, he was sure of it.

Charles – as usual – had everything all wrong. He didn't know what the telepath had done to Tad, exactly, but Victor picked up on her discomfort, fear and almost hatred in his office. She'd been a bundle of barely contained violence, and only her total exhaustion had kept her from picking a fight with him on the way back. He stopped in front of the portrait, and voiced his concerns.

"I don't know, Baby. I'm tired. I miss you, I need you. But I know you are in good hands, and you've got baby Danny ta take care of. I know what you'd tell me, and I'm doin' it, takin' my time, earnin' her trust. She'll tell me eventually. And then we'll get to the bottom of this. God, I'm so tired." He leaned his head on his arms against the frame and just breathed a few times. Her scent was getting stale in the house. He'd managed to keep it for almost a year, but he could barely smell her now.

"Whoever you are – don't move." Said a voice from the door, he just laughed.

"Angel…" He turned around.

"Sabertooth." She gasped, looking around as if for a place to run.

"ANGEL!" He growled, and she looked at him fully for the first time.

"DAD!"

"Ange...the bags are still in the…holy SHIT!" Todd said as he came in the door behind her. "TAD! VICTOR!"

"Shut up, Kid." Victor growled. "Tad's sleepin."

"I was." She said from the stairs.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Angela…it's me." He snapped.

"YOU'RE SABERTOOTH!" She shouted.

"Please – Baby, I'm tired it's been a long night and I'm not up to a whole lot of histrionics. Yes I'm Sabretooth; I haven't dug these out in thirty years." He gestured to his now ruined leathers.

"Oh my God. You are Sabretooth, the assassin, murderer, rapist, terrorist…?"

"I always preferred mercenary – or – uhhh – I don't know – jack of all trades."

"Dad?"

"Angel…your mother and I didn't want you to know, growing up. Didn't want ta scar you for life. You had enough to deal with without growing up as 'Sabretooth's Kid.'"

"Gee – thanks." He chuckled at the disgruntled look on her face.

"Victor – have you even cleaned up yet?" Tad asked from the stairs, she'd changed into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt for sleeping.

"No…I probably need a shower."

"And something to eat; Angel would you help me fix him something to eat? He lost a lot of blood tonight."

"BLOOD?!"

"Victor – shower, Angel – kitchen." Tad snapped.

He grumbled, and growled, and climbed the stairs. He could hear Angel giving Tad a hard time – and Todd's voice joining in, but she was right, he was covered in his own blood, and starving.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"How long have you known?" Angel asked angrily.

"Since the morning after the wedding." Tad said as she grabbed some bacon out of the fridge to start cooking.

"And you didn't tell us?"

"He made me promise not to; he wanted to tell you himself." She snapped. That short nap wasn't nearly enough sleep, not with a final this afternoon.

"Okay – I get that, but HOW?"

"How what?"

"Did you find out?"

"One minute I was at the reception trying to drink your dad under the table, the next thing I knew I was naked in bed in the guest room…and Sabretooth was cooking me breakfast."

"What?! NAKED…I'm confused. I knew you'd passed out but NAKED!"

"I passed out, he brought me here, and sometime in the night I got up and took a shower. He was relaxed, not as cleaned up as…well at the wedding which was the first time I met him…and those pictures were still fresh in my mind, and I saw the resemblance and blurted it out."

"What did he say?"

"He admitted to it – and agreed to let me stay if he could help with Purgatory?"

"MY DAD knows about PURGATORY?!"

"Yes."

Todd was just sitting at the bar shaking his head.

"Baby – let it go. I think we are missing the important part. Whose blood was that, and how did it get all over him." Todd always had been the reasonable one.

"His – and he was shot." Tad threw the bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel and started scrambling some eggs.

"SHOT! You got my dad SHOT!"

"Angel – sweetheart, calm down, he's Sabretooth; he heals just like you do."

"Oh yeah…I forgot that part."

"Briefly, Tad, what happened?" Todd asked.

"Janet was kidnapped, Greg called me, and I asked your dad if he wanted to go. We went to Janet's apartment and he picked up a scent he thought he knew…"

"Kemosabe – I can take it from here." He growled from the doorway. She handed him a plate of bacon and eggs.

"Eat Tonto."

"What's with the Lone Ranger?!"

Tad glanced at Victor and they both burst out laughing.

"It had to do with tracking the guys that kidnapped Janet."

"Oh…" She couldn't tell if Angel was pleased or angry about the camaraderie she and Victor had developed.

"We tracked them to a church run by the CoH, and I took out the guard outside, we went in, and I recognized the guy inside as Graydon Creed."

"Graydon Creed, the presidential candidate that was assassinated?" Todd asked.

"Yeah – my son."

"WHAT!"

"Angel please…Mystique was his mother…and he was in his FOURTIES when I met your mother."

"Oh…" Poor Angel was just starting to look stunned, Tad wanted to take pity on her, but she knew there was more.

"Anyway, the Graydon thing shot your dad, and I killed it, and we rescued Janet, but your dad's wound didn't heal. So I took him to Xavier's. They have the bullet and gun that shot him…and what trace was on my hands of the goop that the Graydon thing dissolved into." Tad said quickly.

"GOOP!"

"It was some kind of gel or liquid or something, I don't know. We should have some kind of analysis soon, I hope, unless Xavier decides we don't need to know." Tad muttered.

"He won't Tad, not if this was aimed at Victor." Todd said reassuringly.

"I don't think it was. I think Tad's the target, whoever they are, they have to get rid of me first." Victor said around a bite of eggs.

"What?"

"Been thinkin' about it, something it said, about you, stuck in my head. I don't think Angel or I are the main targets. They want us out of the way, but it's you they are after."

"Shit." Tad started wracking her brain trying to think of who – or why anyone would be trying to kill her.

"So what happened with the wound that wouldn't heal?"

"Hank cauterized it, I'll have a scar."

"Dad?"

"I'm fine…believe me, I've had worse, hell, your mother hit me over the head once, cracked my skull open, that bled worse."

"When did Mom do that?"

"You were about six, I came in late, and I forgot to call and let her know, she thought I was an intruder, hit me with a cast iron skillet."

They all burst out laughing.

"I never forgot to call again." He said as he joined them in laughter.

"No offense, but I'm beat and I have a final at four, so I'm going to go get some sleep." Tad said.

"Tad…we need to figure this out."

"And I need to pass this test, it's my sociology final."

"OHHHHHH. Okay…meet back here this evening." Angel said.

"You might call Greg and tell him you're home, and Todd…here's the damned keys." She threw the heavy key ring at him. He caught them and dropped them on the bar in front of him. She could feel Victor's eyes on her as she climbed back up the stairs.

"And make sure he eats." She shouted back down the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So…?" He looked at his daughter.

"I have no idea. I mean we've all made enemies, but don't think she has any that would want her dead THAT bad. I mean gel goop things that look like dead people?"

"And bullets designed to specifically kill ferals with healing factors?"

"Wow…this is weird."

"Yeah."

"Allan?" Todd asked, and Angel looked at him.

"Naaa…there were no real hard feelings over it, I mean she's still close with his parents."

"There's his sister?"

"The idiot…it takes a brain to come up with something like this." Angel said. Victor watched the interplay between them. They certainly knew something he didn't.

"Some information here?"

"Sorry Dad, you made her promise not to tell me, she made us promise not to tell anyone."

"Damn it, if it's going to bite me in the ass, I have a right ta know."

"Well – no offense – but I'm not feeling real sympathetic right now." Angel said, glaring at him. He had to at least admit she had a right.

"Fine – I'll see if I can get her to tell me. How was Hawaii?"

"Great, we have fabulous pictures. We'll bring them this evening."

"Todd – I need a word with you – in private."

"DAD!"

"I'da killed him already if I was gonna." Victor snapped at his daughter.

"I guess you have a point." He walked out the front door, his son-in-law following behind.

"Do you know?"

"About what?"

"The baby?"

"Angel's pregnant." The boy got a sickeningly happy grin on his face…Victor remembered that grin, and how few times he'd been able to wear it himself.

"Yeah."

"She doesn't know, I don't think."

"Probably not, but you need to make sure she's safe."

"I will."

"You got guts, Todd, I'll give you that."

"Well – I definitely won't underestimate you again." Todd laughed.

"You know I like you."

"I hope so." Todd chuckled.

"I do – enough to trust you with my daughter."

"I hope I live up to it – I'm not sure I'd want you pissed off at me." Victor laughed.

"Get my daughter home, I need some rest."

"Right, we'll see you later. Angel, we need to get to the house and unpack." He shouted into the house.

"Fine, I'm on my way." She shouted back. She reached up and pulled Victor's head down to kiss his cheek. "There's another plate on the bar in the kitchen, eat it so Tad won't kill me."

"Fine." He watched them pull out of the driveway, before going back into the house to finish his breakfast.


	7. Chapter 7

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 7 – A World of Hurt

Tad left for the campus, leaving him alone in the house. He had his leathers stretched out on the table in the living room, trying to see if he could salvage them. He glanced up at Bronwyn's portrait.

"God, Baby, I'm worried – not about me, I know I have a safe haven to come home to, if anything happens to me, but the kid – and Angel, hell even the Runt, this could really put a hurt on any of them." He threw his shirt on the floor, the leather had dried stiff, and nothing he could do was making it any better. He was going to have to make a new one. Luckily he'd been hunting for the better part of three weeks and had plenty of hides already curing. It wouldn't be elk hide, like the last one, but he'd managed a couple small does, and he thought there would be enough useable leather for a new shirt. The pants weren't bad; most of the blood had soaked into the shirt, leaving them relatively untouched. His duster wasn't a complete loss, just one panel of furs to replace, and he had those curing as well. He would have a full set again in a couple of days.

He jumped at the sound of the phone. He forgot sometimes that he wasn't miles from anywhere. He grabbed the handset off the couch cushion next to him.

"Creed."

"Victor, its Charles, Hank has a report on the gun and the other."

"Can ya fax it over?" He wasn't thrilled with Charles at the moment, he still didn't know why the X-Men had thrown her out, but the kid hadn't deserved it.

"I would rather you came by to pick it up."

"Leave Tad at home I bet." He let the bitterness creep into his voice.

"Please, there is more to this than meets the eye."

"There always is. I'll be by tomorrow."

"Good, I don't think there is a huge rush, what we have discovered indicates this is an expensive project, and I doubt they would have two of those 'clones,' for want of a better word, operating at the same time."

"And you think they take time to make?"

"From the analysis, yes."

"That's good to know – time on our side is always a good thing."

"That it is."

"Later." Victor clicked the phone dead. Xavier didn't want Tad at the school, and Victor was going to get to the bottom of it. She was a good kid; she tried a little too hard to please, a little too hard to be perfect, a little too hard to blend in. It had every instinct he had screaming that something was wrong. Not because of her – but with her, something was seriously hurting, seriously handicapping her, and he was determined to find it – and fix it.

He rolled the salvageable pieces of leather up and took them up to his room. Any runs he had to make over the next couple of days would have to be in jeans. He wasn't up to two to three sets of leathers that he could just switch out, yet. He had time; he wasn't ready to take on the world again – not yet.

He wanted to talk to Angela, see how she was taking this news. He knew it had to be hard on her, finding out about him like that, after so many years of secrecy. He hated hurting her, but he'd promised Bronwyn to never let Sabretooth affect her life. And now he had Tad to worry about. He still didn't know what was going on, and by God he was going to find out – as soon as she made it home from this damned test.

Until then he needed to take a drive. He had one more thing he had to do.

XXXXXXXXX

She was sitting on the bus. She hadn't been able to concentrate on the test, but she knew she'd passed it, probably not as well as she should have, but her mind just wouldn't concentrate. She was going to have to tell him about Allan, and she was afraid…afraid he'd react like Xavier, and send her away. She was running out of places to go.

His car was in the driveway and she knew her time was up. She dragged her feet up the sidewalk, not wanting to turn into the driveway, or open that door. She'd found someplace that she'd felt safe, secure again, and she was about to lose it. She wiped the tear from her eyes. People like her didn't deserve safety and security; she should have realized that by now. He wasn't in the living room when she opened the door so she slipped up the stairs and dropped her backpack on the bed. She looked around. She still hadn't unpacked everything from the apartment, so it wouldn't take long to pack her belongings.

She started opening the drawers and pulling out the neatly folded clothes and stuffing them into her bags. She didn't know where she'd go this time, the only place left was her parents' house, and she knew just how long she'd survive living under her father's thumb.

"Goin' somewhere?" He was leaning on the door jam, watching her pack. She had been so distracted she hadn't sensed him.

"I..umm…"

"We need to talk." He growled at her.

"Yeah – let me finish up."

"No." it was a snarl.

She took a shaky breath and followed him down the stairs. That's when she noticed…the portrait was gone.

"Where's…?"

"In the den…its time."

"Why?"

"I have to get on with my life, can't keep living in the past." He said softly as he gestured for her to sit down. He leaned on the mantle over the fireplace and looked at her. "Now, about Allan?"

She started…how did he know that?

"Todd let the name slip."

"Shit."

"Tad…talk to me. I don't give a shit WHY you killed him, alright, but if someone wants you dead because of it – and it's going to bite me in the ass, I need ta know."

"I honestly don't think it has anything to do with that."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"Fine." Her eyes darted around the room looking for a place to bolt.

"Tad – I don't care. You killed him – and you're not in prison, so I am assuming it was at least self defense?"

"Yeah."

"Are we going to play twenty questions – because we can, I don't care, but I need ta know?"

"No…I just…Angel and Todd are the only ones who know the whole thing, and I don't like talking about it."

"Did I ask you if you LIKED talking about it?" He snapped.

"No."

"You're gonna sit there until you tell me what's going on – if I have to sit on you." From the glare she actually thought he would. She'd never seen him this angry. He hadn't been this angry when he'd killed the guard in the alley.

"I just…"

"Just tell me the short version – if I need more details I'll ask."

"Okay." She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. She didn't want to remember – she'd blocked it out as much as she could.

"I'm waiting."

"Allan was my fiancé; we'd known each other about a year. He took me to a party one evening; some friends of his were throwing it for us. I didn't know any of them. They were friends I'd never met. I didn't like it – the party, they were strange. He'd get mad if I said anything to anyone, I didn't know until later it was some kind of 'lifestyle' party."

"Lifestyle?"

"Allan was heavy into…pain, inflicting pain. I didn't find out until much later he'd been doing it for years. Anyway after we left, he started yelling, telling me I needed to get used to his friends, because they were a part of his life. I told him I didn't like it, I didn't like the way they talked to people, they way they were treating each other. And he slapped me. I was shocked. He kept hitting me – backed me into a corner; kept saying things about being able to push me further than he'd ever been able to push anyone else. He pulled a knife; I finally snapped out of the shock and started fighting back. He cut me up pretty bad, but I just kept healing. There was blood everywhere, and it was all mine. Finally I was able to get leverage and push him away, give me space to move, he fell hard, and snapped his neck."

He just stared at her. She was expecting him to say something.

"What happened after that?"

"I called the police…I spent a couple nights in jail until they figured out that he had a hidden camera, and was recording the whole thing." Victor just shook his head.

"Anything else?"

"No, I went back to the school for a while, but after about a month, Xavier told me to leave, said I was too unstable for the team. I went back to the campus, Angel and Todd were great, and we formed Purgatory not long after."

"Anyone you know who blamed you – wanted to hurt you over his death?"

"No – his parents – well they both saw the tape, saw what he did. His mom still sends me Christmas cards."

"What about his sister?"

"Candice? She's a flake, she hates me but, she always did, so that's nothing new, and she doesn't have the capability to do this."

"Alright, what about people from the party – from his 'lifestyle' set?"

"I only met them once, and most of them disappeared quickly after that."

"I'm going to follow up on that."

"What?"

"Tad – my gut tells me this has something to do with what happened last night, and I'm gonna check it out."

"Okay…I guess you want me to leave. I'll go upstairs and finish packing."

"What the fuck are you talking about? You're not going anywhere."

"I just thought…"

"You thought I was like Xavier; throw you out with the trash?"

"I…"

"Just go – upstairs and unpack. Egg Head and I are gonna have a talk." He snarled.

"No – I mean…"

"Tad – I'm pissed, but not at you, alright. Let me deal with it my own way." She nodded and started to stand up. She could feel her body shaking – she wasn't sure if it was from relief, or fear. "You're safe here – you hear me? You're safe."

She walked up the stairs; she could feel his eyes boring into her back. She waited until she was in her room, with the door closed and locked to collapse.

XXXXXXXXXX

He was ready to kill something – preferably wearing an X-Man uniform. How could they do that to her? He could smell her fear – her pain – and worst of all her complete defeat. She was shattered, not just broken, but shattered. She'd tried to pull herself together, he'd give her that, and hadn't done a bad job, but…the scent of her tears nearly sent him charging up the stairs, but he held back. She didn't need him bursting in – not right now.

"Dad?" He hadn't even heard the door open.

"Hey." He sighed.

"Where's Tad, I can smell her."

"She just told me about Allan. I figure I'll leave her alone for a while."

"You're not going to make her leave, are you?" Todd asked from behind his wife as he walked in the door.

"Of course NOT! That kid needs help – not thrown away."

"Thank you."

"Well since I'm caught up – and in the loop – you want to tell me what exactly happened at the mansion?"

"I don't know." Todd said as he and Angel sat down on the couch. Victor sat down in a chair, he didn't want to intimidate the boy. "I was still on campus. I'd left the team about three weeks before the incident. She went back to the Institute after for a while, but was back a month later, saying Charles had kicked her off the team and out of the program."

"Is she unstable?"

"HELL no." Todd snapped.

"That's what she said Charles told her, she was too unstable for the team."

"I'm not surprised. They had a problem from the beginning, I don't know why, she never really liked him much, and he tended to avoid her. She did most of her training with Logan, but he was away when the incident happened."

"I thought you two met in class?"

"We did. We were taking an economics class, it was the start of the semester, and I didn't know Angel and Tad were roommates. I didn't find out until after…and then we started Purgatory to give her something else to concentrate on."

"So when was this?"

"Three years ago, Dad." Angel laughed.

"You two have been dating for THREE years…?"

"NO! We started dating six months ago. We've known each other for three years."

"Oh. Alright…" He shook his head, time to change the subject.

"Dad, I think I'm okay with it."

"With what?"

"You."

"You better be, I'm the only Dad you got."

She laughed. "Todd and I haven't talked about much else all day, it's weird, but I guess I know a side of you most people don't – and you're my Dad first, just DON'T make me have to go against Sabretooth. That would be TOO weird."

"I'm not making ANY promises…not till I know exactly what's going on, but I'll try."

"DAD!"

"Angel…I'm not the man I used to be. You and your mom made a difference, but that doesn't mean I'm not the man I used to be."

"That makes no sense."

"It wasn't supposed to…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm not making promises, not right now, not until I know what direction I'm goin in."

"Dad, I'm worried. I went back over the file we have on Sabre…on you, and I don't want you to go back to being that…monster."

"I don't either – alright. I kinda like the man I've become, but there are some things I miss, some freedoms I had then, that I locked away for your mother, and I'm kinda lookin forward to exploring that part of me in the new context."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I don't know yet." He laughed.

"Dad?"

"Angel, I buried your mother last year, I haven't even thought about what I want to do. I started thinkin' about it, when you told me you were getting married, but then Tad showed up on my doorstep, and I'm kinda feelin responsible for her at the moment."

"You don't have to, you know." She said from the bottom of the stairs. Her face was pale, and her eyes red rimmed.

"But I do." He wasn't letting her off the hook.

He watched a strange look cross Angel's face, one he'd seen a hundred times, she had an idea – and a plan to act on it. Somehow he thought he was in for a world of hurt.


	8. Chapter 8

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 7 – Best Laid Plans and All of That…

He sat in the car, outside the gate, trying to calm his temper before driving in there and confronting Charles about being a total ass. He made sure Angel was at home with Tad, he didn't want the kid bolting on him. She needed help, plain and simple, and he wasn't about to let her take off without getting it.

He glanced at his son-in-law sitting in the passenger seat. He seemed to be steeling himself for this too.

"Problems?"

"No, just – I haven't had anything to do with them since they kicked Tad out. I let Greg handle communication with them." Victor felt his respect for the kid inch up a notch.

"So how long have you known Tad?"

"She was about sixteen when she came to the school. I was a year or so ahead of her, but in there that doesn't matter. Her parents treated her like shit – well her dad, her mom's pretty nice. She didn't trust Xavier, he reminded her of her dad I think. The only actual team member she was even able to speak to with any comfort level was Logan, and that took years of patience from him to build up."

"I thought you said her dad was an ass." He knew the man was, but he wanted to hear someone else's opinion.

"He is, verbally and emotionally abusive I KNOW, and I've wondered about physical a time or two. Can we get this over with; if not can we hit a bar."

"You ain't drinkin kid." Victor snarled.

"This place just makes me tense."

"I know that feeling." Victor chuckled and pulled up to the gate.

"I was wondering when you two were going to come in." Charles said from the intercom as the gate opened.

Victor just snarled as he drove up the drive.

Logan was at the door again, but this time he followed them into Charles' office. Storm and Hank were there waiting as well.

"I didn't know this was a conference." Victor snarled.

"There are several things we need to discuss, and I notice you are not alone, welcome back Todd."

"Whatever." Todd muttered under his breath setting the mood for the entire meeting.

Charles let out a sigh. "Very well, where do we start, with Thaddeus – or the test results?"

"Start with the results, the other will get ugly." He heard Logan chuckle behind him and wanted to rip his face off.

"Take it easy, furry; I'm on your side in THAT issue." The Runt said as he walked to a chair and sat down; for some reason that reassured Victor a little.

"Very well, Hank." Charles indicated the blue feral.

"The material for both the projectile and the elements found on young Thaddeus' hands is the same compound, a mutoreplicant material. The material from her hands is highly unstable, requiring fresh genetic materials to maintain cohesion. It is able to replicate those materials while a primary genetic code is programmed into its structure; however, upon destruction of that code, the material reverts back to its unstable state.

While the material for the projectile has the same basic chemical components, its structure is more disruptive than constructive. It is designed to disrupt the genetic material inside the nucleus of any living cell it comes into contact with."

"In English, BlueButt." Victor muttered.

"Very well…the being Thaddeus killed was some sort of artificial life form programmed with Graydon Creed's DNA, the bullet that was shot into you destroyed the genetic structure of your cells, causing them not to regenerate, thus hampering your healing factor in those areas. The bullet also acts like a virus in the body, as long as it stays in the body it starts to break down the genetic structure within the cells around it, spreading from cell to cell, until the entire genetic structure of the host is completely destroyed. The only way to stop the process is to remove the mutoreplicant material, and cauterize the cells that were damaged."

"Whoa…who has that capability?"

"Currently there are four labs working on this type of bio genetic research, all of whom have denied any knowledge or involvement with these particular projects." Charles said.

"And you believe them?" Todd couldn't keep the sneer out of his voice.

"I didn't…I scanned them – all the labs. They have nothing close to this."

"Nice to know you are being sensible." Todd snapped.

"Todd – both of these weapons pose a considerable threat to every mutant on the planet, not just the ferals, and to humanity as well. Whoever has developed these intends them as weapons, not research."

"Finally waking up to the real world, Charles?" Victor asked.

"The good news, as I told you yesterday, this project has to be expensive both in time and resources, which is also bad news."

"I told you time on our side is a good thing."

"True – but their funding must be limitless, which means we may not have as much time as I hoped. The projectiles themselves shouldn't be that expensive to produce, and the viroactivity only stops when it reaches something without a genetic code in the nucleus, either dead material or non living material, or the projectile is removed from the system infected."

"Wait you mean it keeps spreading – say from a person to an animal – or an actual virus." Todd asked.

"Dear Lord – even I hadn't thought of that…" Charles' face paled.

"But if it kills the virus it can't spread, right?" Todd asked.

"That would depend on how rapidly it disabled the virus, and if the virus were immediately transferred to another person through contact while still viable." Hank said quietly.

"So this IS worse than we thought." Victor snarled.

"Perhaps."

"Any clues on who's behind it?"

"No. I was hoping you might have an idea…or a contact."

"I've been out of the business too long; but I do have some ideas. I think this is aimed at Tad."

"That's impossible." Charles scoffed.

"I don't know, my gut says it does."

"Mine too." Logan said from his chair. "You've put me off long enough, Charles, what happened?"

"That is between Thaddeus and myself…"

"She told me you said she was too unstable for the team, after Allan." Victor snarled.

"I did say that…and she was."

"BULLSHIT!" Logan and Victor roared in unison.

"The one time I can get you two to agree on anything – and it has to be this." Charles muttered.

"Out with it, baldy." Victor snarled.

"Very well…Thaddeus was very close to turning fully feral, to losing her humanity, after what happened. In my scans of her mind she wasn't comfortable here, she wanted to go back to the campus, to Todd and Angel, and they were the only things keeping her sane. I didn't want another Sabretooth on my hands, so I gave her what she wanted, a way out, a reason to leave, with her pride intact. I handled it poorly, I know that, I didn't realize how broken she really was. She rarely let me in, certainly not enough to know her mind well enough to realize that she needed more help than she was letting show on the surface. By the time I realized it, the damage was done, and she wouldn't accept anything from me – from us."

"Creed's right, you're and ass, Charles." Logan muttered.

"In this case, I will claim guilty as charged."

"Is there any way we can help her now?" Storm asked.

"She doesn't trust any of you – not even Logan – now." Todd said quietly. "She loathes Charles, and I don't think that damage will ever be repaired. She's slowly recovering, it's been three years, and she's functioning, and not giving in to the feral as much as she was."

"She's my responsibility now – I'll deal with it."

"I am not certain THAT is wise, Victor." Charles said.

"Too bad…you lost your chance to have any say in it when you threw her out like trash."

"I did not…"

"That's how it looks to me."

"Hate to say it, but it looks that way to me too." Logan snarled.

"You weren't here – no one could reach her. If you had been, I would have left it up to you, but I had to think of the safety of my other students as well."

"Whatever." Victor said as he picked up the written report from Charles' desk. "I'll take that." He turned and walked out of the room, Todd on his heels.

"Jerk." Todd muttered under his breath.

"No shit." Victor muttered. He needed to kill something – which meant they were stopping by the cemetery on the way back to the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So – how are you and my Dad getting along?" Angel asked, as they scrubbed the refrigerator. How Angela had conned her into housework Tad was still trying to figure out.

"Okay I guess." She said as she dumped another load of dirty soap water into the sink.

"Well I can tell he hasn't done anything at the house since Mom died. This fridge is a disaster." Angel said, glaring at the third shelf that she was scrubbing.

"I've been so busy I didn't notice I'm sorry." Tad muttered.

"Not your fault…Tad, my Dad's let things go since Mom died, and I can't blame him, living alone, here…without her." Angel looked over at her, as she handed another pan of hot soapy water across.

"He doesn't seem that lonely – except at night." Tad said quietly.

"At night?"

"He talks to her portrait when he thinks I'm asleep." Tad said.

"Oh my…I had no idea. I guess you being here is a good thing for him then." Angel said. Tad knew that look, her best friend was up to something, and Tad didn't want any part of it.

"I'm thinking about finding someplace else, he doesn't need to feel responsible for me and I have enough to worry about without having to keep track of him." Tad said as she wrung out the mop in hot soapy water and headed to the entry hall.

"Tad…you don't have any place to go right now, and Dad needs someone to feel responsible for…please, don't leave." Angel said a definite plea in her voice.

"It's weird…" Tad said.

"What?"

"Living with Sabretooth." She said.

"That's weird – try finding out he's your Dad…" Angel said and Tad had to agree. They worked quietly for a while.

"Do you really think all of this has something to do with Allan?" Tad asked as she wrung out the mop and rinsed it

"I don't know – Dad seemed pretty convinced, and I've rarely known him to be wrong about anything."

"Except telling you who he was?"

"No – I've thought about it, I don't think he and Mom were wrong about that. I would have had it rough, growing up as Sabretooth's kid. They did it to protect me, let me be as normal as I could. I guess – finding out about the baby, I understand a little better. Todd and I are talking about waiting till the baby's older to tell it who Grandpa is."

"It must be nice – having a father that protected you growing up." Tad said wistfully.

"Your Dad's an ass." Angel said with no apologies.

"That reminds me, I need to call him and check on Mom." Tad said dread in her voice.

"Why don't you let ME call him…you think about what to cook for dinner."

"That's ALMOST a fair trade…I'm not sure your Dad will survive my cooking though."

"Well he's survived worse – not MUCH, but if he can survive your cooking, I'll really believe he's Sabretooth." Angel laughed as she picked up the phone handset.

"Hey, Mr. Darius, its Angel, Tad's a little busy at the moment, she wanted me to call and check on her Mom for her."

"Put my useless daughter on the phone NOW!" Tad could hear her father through the phone and cringed. She knew that tone, and what it usually meant. She looked down at her latex covered hands and the scrub brush in them and felt the tears burning in the back of her eyes.

"Sorry she's not here…How's Mrs. Darius's leg?" Angel said making faces at Tad.

"Broken – and my daughter should be here taking care of her mother, not catting around with some man old enough to be her father."

"Well I can tell you – they aren't CATTING around…although…my Dad could probably use some CATTING…since Mom died." Angel said a bite to her voice.

"Your DAD!?"

"Yeah, she's staying with my dad for a while…I asked her to look out for him until I get settled."

"Well, I guess that's not so bad, but I NEED her at home."

"I need to go, Mr. Darius, I'll tell her that her mother's leg is better. Have a nice day." Tad waited until the dial tone hit her ears before bursting out laughing.

"He'll think I'm sleeping with your dad…" She laughed.

"That was the idea." Angel said a wicked gleam in her eye.

"He'll be over here with a shotgun…" Tad said a slight panic rising.

"Yeah – and my Dad will meet him at the door…" Tad stopped and laughed again. The thought of Victor running her father off was definitely something to raise her spirits a little.

"You know – I want a camera for that." Tad grinned.

"So is that such a horrible idea?" Angel asked, after she went back to scrubbing the fridge shelf.

"What?"

"Sleeping with my Dad?"

"YOU are INSANE!" Tad said as she glared at Angel.

"It was just a THOUGHT!" Angel said, holding up her sponge like a shield. "I mean he is Sabretooth after all…"

"Freak!" Tad said, and turned on the vacuum so she didn't have to hear any more insane ideas from Angel.

XXXXXXXXX

"Hey." He glanced over his shoulder. Todd was sitting in the car; he was completely alone standing in front of the three stones. "You better be taking care of them, Varden." He snarled at the first one. Silence was the only answer, and he smiled. He knew Daniel was taking care of them, he trusted him.

"Baby, there's more to this than meets the eye and I need to concentrate. I will never stop loving you, but these visits, and the portrait…they're gonna have to stop." He laid the flowers gently across the ground under the stone. "I know you'd understand, hell – you'd probably tell me to get my head out of my ass and do something about it already, if you were here. Then again, if you were here, it wouldn't matter."

He knelt down and pulled a few long tufts of dried grass back from the smallest stone. "At least you are with the little one…and I don't have to worry about you anymore. This kid, I don't know where this is going, but she's different. I want to take care of her, protect her – even from herself. It may never be more than as Angel's Dad, but she's mine, you understand that, I know. She's mine."

The words hit him, like a weight. All his plans to let go, to let the beast out and have its day were tripped up by one slip of a girl. He was taking responsibility for her, ownership of her, and God help anyone that tried to hurt her…Tad belonged to him.


	9. Chapter 9

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 9 – Dreams, and wakings.

Tad started awake. She wasn't certain what woke her, but she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was two o'clock. She started to sit up, and that's when she saw him leaning on the bedroom door frame.

"Victor?"

"Didn't mean to wake ya; you were muttering in your sleep."

"Sorry – I didn't mean to wake YOU." She said embarrassed that she's woken him. The scent of the room gave her a good idea what she'd been dreaming about. She took in his wet hair and damp shirt and realized her errant imagination had affected him as well.

"I've woken up worse." He grinned, and walked across the floor and sat on the side of the bed. "Darlin, there's something you need to understand, you're safe here. No one is going to hurt you, especially not me, so relax. You're my girl." He reached one clawed hand out and traced her cheek – and she started awake.

"DAMN!" She muttered, this was the third night in a row she'd dreamed something like that. She glanced over at the closed bedroom door and shivered. She didn't understand where these dreams were coming from but she blamed Angel for putting them in her head. She reached to pull the blanket back – and that's when the second heartbeat in the room made her pause.

"Tad." He was sitting in the chair. Shit.

"What are you doing here?" She sounded defensive, even to herself.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait until I'm dressed?"

"I guess…I met with a friend of mine tonight, someone who's well placed to know about the type of party Allan took you too. He knew about what happened, more details than you gave me, and I need to know how much of those details you know – or knew."

"Why?"

"I'll explain after, I need your honest reactions to them."

"Let me get dressed."

"I'll be downstairs." He stood up and walked across the darkened room and opened the door soundlessly. She climbed out of bed and grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a shirt to pull on. She glanced at the clock, it was two thirty. He was downstairs, in the dark living room.

"Sit down." She reached to turn on the light. "You don't need it, Tad."

She folded her hands in her lap and sat in the dark waiting on him to ask her questions.

"Alright, I need answers to questions, and if you don't know, just tell me. I need to know how much of this you actually know, without telling you everything – for now."

"Okay."

"You said Allan was into pain – inflicting it, do you know how long he had been involved with it – or who else he might have been involved with?"

"I know that after the whole thing came out – and the video tape, one of his 'friends' caught me out on campus and gave me an earful about Allan and his previous 'girls.'"

"Did he name names?"

"No, just that I was like all the others, I lead him along, pretending to be sweet and docile and submissive, but when it came down to accepting a Master I turned out to be like all the rest, and that Allan should just stick to the good thing he had."

"Did he say what that was?"

"No. He said something about Allan having to really psych himself up to spend…how did he put it…'vanilla' time with me."

"That makes sense, considering what I've found out."

"Victor…please, I'm confused and I don't see how any of this can make a difference or how this weapon has anything to do with me."

"Well – it does, and it has to do with Allan's death. Do you know who his 'slave' was, back then?"

"NO! I told you…"

"Alright…here's what I found out…" He sat down and lit his cigar, letting the smoke filter through the room, before he continued. "Allan was a very twisted individual, there were very few in the 'lifestyle' that actually liked or respected him, those few were weak fools that wanted what he had, which was total control over his slaves."

"He had more than one?"

"Over the course of the ten years he was active, he had three…only one is still alive."

"What?"

"His first one…the others couldn't survive both of them combined. She's as sadistic as he was, but she enjoys being 'topped' as well. She's a very obedient slave, and her current Master is using her to keep his own harem inline."

"What are you talking about?"

"Candice."

"His SISTER!"

"Oh yeah…my friend had video that Allan gave him, he showed me."

"That's just sick…" She felt her stomach churning.

"If it were just Candice, we'd be okay, it would be easy to deal with, but I know exactly who is behind this and why it's directed at us…the ferals in particular."

"Then it's not JUST about me?"

"Not anymore."

"Who – Why?" She was still trying to process that the man she'd thought she was in love with had been involved with his own sister since he was a teen.

"Candice was taken in by a man by the name of Nathaniel Essex. I worked for him, a time or two; he's a real piece of work."

"Why would he be interested in me?"

"At first it was just because his new 'toy' wanted revenge for Allan's death, but then he found out about Purgatory, and Angela, and of course he knows about me and Logan, and knows we are some of the few that can actually – if not counter him directly – can remember and stay vigilant against him."

"Why would we have to?"

"He goes by the name Sinister."

She was shocked. She'd lived at the Institute, she'd heard the stories, about the fights with him over the course of a century – and now he was focused on destroying HER! She felt panic rise.

"I told you – I'll take care of you, he won't get near you."

"Why?"

"Why is he after you? I explained that."

"No – why are you taking care of me. It would be best if I just left, ran, and got as far away from him – from them as I could."

"NO!" He roared at her. "You are NOT taking off – you are NOT running. It's not just you he's after, and your running wouldn't help the rest of us."

"But – I'm just not that important, why would someone like SINISTER want to hurt me – or the people I care about." His start almost didn't register with her; she was so close to a panic.

"Tad, listen to me very carefully. NO ONE – EVER is going to hurt you again. They have to get through me first."

"But WHY?" She wasn't sure what was more frightening, a being like Sinister trying to kill her – or Sabretooth promising to protect her.

He took a long draw on his cigar before answering. "You are family, maybe not by blood, but you are family, and I take care of my family." She felt the panic ease a bit, but not much. "I've already told Todd and Angel, and they will be moving with us."

"Moving?"

"I'm selling the house. It was Bronwyn's, not mine, and it's not defensible for one thing, and for another, it's time to move past that part of my life." She could see him clearly in the faint light from the end of his cigar, but she wished he'd let her turn on the lamp.

"So where are we going?"

"There's a place – closer to the campus that I've been looking at. I put a bid in on it today. It's not the Hamptons, but it will be safer, and give the group a place to meet, and store whatever needs to be stored."

"Todd just bought a house."

"Yeah – and I paid it off for him…they can move back when the danger's over. I'm not going to have my baby girl having her baby in danger." She bit her lip to keep the smile at that strange turn of phrase from his mouth. "Don't laugh…"

"I'm trying not to."

"We're moving as soon as I get the word that the bid was accepted, so get packed."

"Are you expecting word today?"

"This morning."

"Oh…I'll go start packing." She stood up and walked to the stairs, her knees trembling in fear, but determined not to let it get the best of her.

"That's my girl." He said it softly, but it sent a new surge of fear through her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

He watched her climb the stairs. He hadn't told her everything that he'd found out, he just couldn't. There were things she just didn't need to know, things that would break her spirit completely if he told her now. Allan's plans were well known, and there had been those in the community that thought he was going too far. Candice was just the beginning. The other two…girls hadn't had a chance. The ONLY thing that had kept him from starting his control over Tad earlier than he had was Angel and Todd and her training at Xavier's.

She'd been his perfect target, except for those three things. She'd been abused by her father, to the point that – when she defended herself with her mutation against a rapist, her father had publicly berated her for allowing herself into that situation and for being nothing but a useless girl, and then, from what Victor's sources said, had beaten her nearly senseless before Xavier's people had shown up to save her. Her healing factor hadn't been fully active at that point, and only Logan and Gambit's intervention had saved her life. She'd blocked the memory, and even Xavier hadn't been able to get her to access it. Todd had been unthreatening, and had eased into her confidence, and Logan had helped her to learn to exert herself. When she entered college she had Angel for back up and support, and an example of what a strong independent woman was like, something he'd instilled in his daughter from birth. Allan had seen her as the perfect slave, already basically trained by her father, easy to put under control and use for his own purposes – his and his sister's.

The problem was, in many ways she'd let Allan win. She hadn't dated anyone else since, she let Angel and Todd and the Purgatory group control every aspect of her life, and now was feeling abandoned and alone. He could smell it, when she thought he wasn't here, or thought he wasn't paying attention, her dejection, her depression. He wanted to help – but his way of helping would only make the situation worse. She didn't need someone else to lean on – to subject herself too; she needed to be her own person, before she gave herself to someone else.

He picked up the phone and dialed Angel and Todd's number.

"Hey – Dad, how'd she take it?"

"Not well."

"We're packed, as soon as Todd's finished his last minute stuff, we'll head that way."

"Good, I'll see you then."

He hung up the phone and walked up the stairs. He could hear her moving around in the guest room, packing her bags, and he stepped into his room and started throwing his work clothes into a rucksack. He'd leave his suits and less durable clothes for later. He only had one other thing he wanted to take with him, and he picked up the rucksack and walked down the stairs. He dropped the bag by the front door and started for the den. He stopped, and turned back.

"TAD!" He shouted.

"Almost done." Her reply drifted down the stairs.

"I need your help with something." He heard her drop whatever she had in her hands, and start down the stairs.

"There's something in the den I need you to help me pack."

"No offense Mr. Creed, but I think you should pack your wife's portrait yourself."

"Bronwyn's…No – its' behind that."

"What?"

"My good luck charm." He said as he flipped on the light in the den and pulled the heavy frame down from the wall. He flipped it over and smiled at the strange glass case built into the back of the frame.

"Completely temperature and light controlled inside." He grinned as he had her hold the frame while he unhooked the case. "Angel's moving the portrait to her house, but I'm not letting THIS out of my sight." He touched a part of the case and the internal lighting system activated. "My fingerprint controls it." He grinned as her eyes grew wide at the piece of vellum inside.

"Is that…? NO! Can't be…that's in the Louvre." She looked at the famous sketch, the man's arms outstretched, the circles and different positions faded with time.

"No – one of them is in the Louvre; he made several sketches of this particular idea."

"That's…where did you get that?"

"In an old monastery in Italy, back in World War One; I carried it for years folded up in my jacket pocket, until it started to fall apart. I had this built about twenty years ago, hid it back here, I figured, I was taking care of her, she could take care of Leonardo."

"That's amazing." She whispered as she reached out to touch the glass, as soon as her fingers touched it, it faded to black.

"Leave the frame, Angel and Todd can get it later, and don't say anything about this. You're the only one who knows."

He felt her eyes on him, and he carefully wrapped the case in a blanket concentrating on what he was doing to hide the glint of triumph in his eye. He'd given her something that only they shared.

"Did Bronwyn know about it?"

"Nope. There were parts of my life she never knew about, this – and the rest of my collection – was one of them?"

"Collection?"

"I collect things." He stood up, carrying the case. It had a special carry case that fastened onto his rucksack.

"Like what?"

"I don't know – if I like it, I buy it. I've got a Boccaccio, a Rembrandt, a Stradivarius, a couple gems I liked, some statues – I'll have to show you sometime."

"Where are they?"

"I have a house in Seattle; I store them there, in a special vault."

"Angel doesn't know about them?"

"No."

She was quiet as he had her help him fasten the case to the rucksack. It was just going in the car, but he didn't want to take any chances, not with this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She'd been surprised by the look of pure joy and possession he'd had on his face when he showed her the drawing. She'd seen photos and sketches of it for years but never seen the real thing before, and he had more things like it hidden away from the world. What else did he have hidden away?

Angel and Todd arrived right after they got her bags packed into the back of the car.

"Are you leaving Mom's car?" Angel asked.

"Yeah – I haven't started it in six months, I'm not even sure she'll start."

"Are you selling the house – or just leaving it?"

"Don't know yet, thinking about selling it."

"Why – you and Mom were happy here."

"I know – but it was her house, not mine." Tad watched his face and noticed he kept glancing at her as he spoke. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she didn't like it. His cell phone rang and he walked across the yard to take the call.

"Tad, are you alright?"

"A little freaked by all of this, but I'm not completely non functional."

"Sinister isn't anything to play with."

"I know."

"Alright, we got it…let's get a move on." Victor said as he walked back across the lawn. He opened the passenger door for Tad to climb in. "I have some old friends meeting us there to help get the place in shape."

Todd and Angel climbed into their car and he slipped into the driver's seat. She noticed a strange smile on his face as he pulled out of the driveway and couldn't help asking him.

"What's so funny?"

"Not funny, just saying goodbye. Thirty years is a long time, even for me; but it's time to let her go."

"The house?"

"Bronwyn; it's time to get on with my life."

Tad had a sinking feeling that he was expecting her to have a large part of whatever life he was planning to have, and she didn't have the strength to fight him.

The building he'd bought wasn't a house; it was a monstrosity of a place, like Xavier's. This was built of rough local stone with small windows, which had steel shutters installed.

"It used to be a mental hospital I think, but it's defensible, and has quite a bit of resources both above and below ground." He pulled into the garage, and Tad had a very pleasant surprise waiting as the door opened.

"Well, Chere, it's good ta see ya. Been too long." She threw her arms around his neck, trapping his long graying hair in against his back.

"GAMBIT! I haven't seen you in…what…five years?"

"It sure been a while." He grinned, and then laughed as the snarl came from across the car. "Good to see you too, Creed?"

"How's things going, Gumbo."

"Dey goin' Mystique an' Toad are upstairs gettin' some rooms ready."

"I thought we weren't moving in till you got the bid through?" Tad asked Victor.

"I said WE weren't – never said anything about them."

"Well, well if it isn't Snaglepuss." Tad looked at the blue woman with the bright red hair as she walked into the garage.

"Good to see you too – I saw your offspring not long ago."

"I keep telling you that's impossible. I killed him, myself. His wife donated his body to science or something."

"Well – THAT makes sense." Victor snarled.

"Why?"

"The gel needs fresh DNA to maintain the structure it's emulating, has to have fresh to start with, they have to have his body on ice or something."

"So this is…Mrs. Creed?"

"No, Bronwyn died last year."

"I know THAT, Tooth…you tend to move fast."

"Fuck you, Myst."

"Any time, Lover, any time." She grinned and turned back into the main part of the building. Tad cringed at the idea of sharing living space with Mystique.

Victor turned to Gambit. "Who else is here?"

"Juggs is busy, Avalanche Jr. will be here next week, he picked up his daddy's mutation, we have Toad, me, Myst, an' whatever assistance you provide."

"I have me, Tad, Angel, Todd, and about thirty class three or less mutants willing to help out."

"Damn – you got Xavier beat at de moment."

"Yeah – well, I pay better."

"Yeah – right." Gambit laughed as the two men turned toward the entrance to the main building.

"Tad grab my rucksack, and bring it in, would ya?" Victor said casually over his shoulder.

"Get it yourself." She snapped back just as Angel and Todd pulled in behind them.

"That's my girl." He grinned as Angel climbed out of her car. Tad was surprised by the look of shock on Angel's face as Victor grabbed his rucksack. He just turned and followed Gambit into the main building while Tad started unloading her own bags.

"Did he just call you 'my girl'?"

"Yes, he's done it a couple times today."

"Oh my God…I was half joking…." Angel said.

"What?" Tad looked at her.

"About sleeping with my Dad."

"I am NOT sleeping with your Dad!" Tad snapped.

"Tad – my Dad only called one person 'my girl' and that was my MOM!" Angel said, grabbing her arm.

"I'm not sleeping with him – and I'm not going to."

"Tad, it wouldn't be that bad, would it?"

"YES! I'm sick to death of being second."

"What."

"Never mind, YOU wouldn't understand." She snapped and grabbed two of her bags and headed into the building. She was going to find her room, and drop; she seemed to need a whole lot more sleep than usual.

"Tad, wait, what do you mean? Please."

"I've been second since the day I was born, I'm tired of it. If I EVER end up with someone, it's going to be because I am FIRST with them, not taking someone else's place."

"Tad…"

"Just leave me alone, Angel…you're just as guilty." She turned and let the door close behind her as she went looking for someplace to get some sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 9 – Planting Seeds and Watching them Grow

He'd put up with it long enough. Three days Tad had been withdrawn, three days not speaking to anyone but Gambit or Janet, she wasn't even talking to Todd or Angel, and he was getting sick of it. It couldn't have hit her that hard, the news about Allan, and he'd thought they were making progress. He was hiding under one of the trucks, vehicle maintenance had always been a good excuse for getting away and thinking.

"Dad?" Shit, she WOULD find him out here.

"What is it, Angel, I'm kinda busy?"

"I didn't know you knew how to do that?"

"Just because your mother insisted that we have our vehicles serviced DOESN'T mean I don't know how." He growled.

"Fine…I'm worried about Tad." Double shit; he wasn't in the mood to discuss this, certainly NOT with his daughter.

"Why?" He hoped he sounded curious, not sarcastic.

"She's not talking – not since her blow up the other day."

Blow up – that was news to him. "What blow up?"

"I said something about you calling her 'my girl' and she just blew, said something about not being second anymore and told me I was guilty too."

He scooted out from under the truck. She was leaning on the side, near the toolbox.

"Hand me that wrench, the one on top." He said. She reached over and grabbed it, dropping it into his hand. "What was the problem with me calling her that?" He asked as he scooted back under the truck. The wrench beat his claw for loosening the oil plug.

"It's what you used to call Mom." Angel said softly.

"Shit, I didn't even realize it." He snarled.

"I still don't get what she said – about being second?" He scooted back out from under the truck, the oil dropping into the pan under the block. He wiped his hands on his jeans and stood up.

"Hand me that filter wrench would you?" He pointed to the strap wrench.

"Here."

"I know how she feels – about being second. There comes a point when you just don't want to do it anymore." He dangled the wrench from his hand and looked at Angel. "Baby, she's going through a rough patch, I don't know what's going on for sure, but it's bugging me too."

"What do you mean – you know how she feels. When have YOU ever been second?"

"All your life."

"What?"

"Not to you, Baby. There are a lot of things your mother and I didn't tell ya. Mostly because you were a kid and wouldn't understand, and then as you got older, they just were in the past."

"Are you saying Mom had an affair?"

"NO! Just…I wasn't her first choice."

"What? Mom LOVED you."

"Yeah – it took her a while."

"What?"

"I just sayin it took her a while…she had a lot to get over first."

"Like what?"

"The death of the man she loved."

"Did you kill him?" He looked at his daughter in shock. Three months ago she never would have even considered asking him that question.

"No – yes – sorta but not directly…it's complicated."

"Dad?"

"This is why we didn't want to tell you – we dealt with it, a long time ago. His name was Daniel Varden, he was my partner, my point man, my cleanup man, and the first and only person I ever called a true friend. He's the one that convinced me to give up the rackets, the contracts, try leading a normal life."

"How'd he die?"

"Well, we were getting things set up for full time running of Creed Industries, and we needed a secretary for a couple weeks, your mother was the temp."

"What?"

"That's how we met…all three of us. She was feisty, professional, good at her job, and the most beautiful thing I think I'd ever seen…Daniel too. There was no fight, no macho shit, I could see how much he loved her, and I stayed out of the way. And I could see how much she loved him."

"What does this have to…?"

"I'm getting there…we were on a last job, a favor for an old friend, we'd finished up, were heading back to the states – the wedding was a week off, and Daniel wanted to get home. We were walking up the steps to the plane when the airport was attacked by terrorists. He was shot in the crossfire, and died on the plane. He made me promise to take care of your mother, if anything happened to him, and I kept my word."

"Dad?"

"I never should have taken him on that last job…if I'd have made him stay, you'd be his."

"She never stopped loving him?"

"No…to the day she died, she still called out to him in her sleep."

"Oh – Dad?" He could smell her tears, and smiled.

"I loved her – I can't deny it, I loved him – as a friend, something I'd never had, to that point. I would have stayed in the background, let them have their life together. Now they're together. I buried her next to him."

"Dad?"

"I just can see where Tad's coming from, not wanting to be second anymore. I don't either."

"Dad – you were never second with Mom?"

"Oh yes I was…I knew it. I gave her everything I had, but I know she always held something back. I have no regrets, Angel, but I always knew where I stood."

"And you think Tad feels that way?"

"Yeah…I can see it, from what you and other sources have said, her father's a real piece of work, there was no way in hell she would ever be good enough for him, then whatever the issue with Xavier was, there was no way she was winning brownie points there, Allan was kinda the nail in the coffin. She NEEDS to be important to someone, and all the people she cares about, well she's not number one with…not even you."

"She's my best friend."

"I know – but think about it, you married HER best friend…and you two, just by the nature of the relationship are more important to each other. I think she's feeling a little betrayed at the moment. I'm not quite sure why she's pissed at ME! I haven't done anything."

"I have…"

"ANGEL!"

"Well – she's a feral, and not related, so…I kinda have been trying to fix you two up…"

"DAMN IT!"

"You're not interested?"

"That's not the point…" He snarled at his daughter, wondering if her healing factor would protect the baby if he wrung her neck.

"So you are interested?"

"That's not the POINT!"

"Dad…I'm worried about her – and about you…you both need someone to depend on. I thought you might be able to…what with the healing factors and the age thing not being that big a deal…" He was beginning not to care if her healing factor would protect the baby…Todd could just knock her up again.

"ANGELA DIANE CREED!" He roared.

"Okay – maybe a bad idea – in actuality, but it looked good on paper."

"Getting out of my sight right now would be a good thing – if you want to keep breathing." He watched her face blanch, and he realized he must have let the beast loose.

"Angel…" She ran into the main part of the building. "SHIT!"

He debated going after her or finishing the oil change. He decided to finish the job; he needed time to cool off.

XXXXXXXXXX

She slipped through the hall trying to avoid anyone. She wasn't in the mood to watch Angela and Todd play newlyweds, and she didn't know what to do about Victor. She liked him – okay her over active imagination had already been way down that path that Angel started trying to lead her down, but he was her best friend's FATHER for crying out loud. He was old enough to be her father…scratch that GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER…of course he didn't look it which made it even worse…and when he was wearing tight jeans and a ripped grease covered T-shirt he looked like sin incarnate. She shook her head and tried to slip past his open door without him noticing.

"Tad, I need your help."

"I'm kinda busy."

"It won't take a minute. I need someplace to put this." He was holding the darkened glass case in his hand. "I don't want to tell anyone else about it, but…"

She stepped into his room and glanced around. It was somewhat bare, but there was a hutch on the top of the dresser that could be moved forward. She pointed to it.

"Hang it behind that."

"I thought of that, the hutch's connected."

"Pull it out."

"It won't come out…its stuck."

"Well maybe if you move it around a little it will come unstuck."

"I don't think that will work."

"Well – it is awfully big…maybe if we both move it at the same time…"

"I don't WANT to know what you two are talking about – but you better BOTH be dressed, I'm coming in." Mystique said from the doorway. Victor quickly hid the case under the bed as the door opened.

"We're trying to move the hutch and dresser." Tad snapped at the blue mutant.

"Thank GOD!" The blue woman laughed. "I thought I was missing all the fun." Tad blushed.

"Tad…MYST! Help us move this thing. I don't like where it is." He snarled.

The three of them grabbed the dresser and pulled it out from the wall about an inch before it stuck on the floor again.

"GAHHHGGG, these floors are crap. We need to lift it." Victor snarled.

"Not on MY back. I spent enough time with you there…thanks. Get your new girlfriend to help you there." Mystique said as she walked out the door.

"She's gone…and I think that's far enough to slip it behind." Tad said.

"Yeah and thanks…and sorry about Myst, her mind's usually in the gutter."

"Yeah – I've noticed." She walked out the door, trying to ignore the eyes she could feel boring into the back of her head. She just didn't know what to think. One minute he was just Angel's Dad, and then the next she was getting all hot under the collar because of his jeans and shirt, and she KNEW he could smell it. That he wasn't saying anything, or acting on it, or not acting on it was just freaking her out.

She grabbed her backpack from her room and dashed for the stairs before anyone else could catch her. She was tired of waiting for something to happen. Victor seemed content to just work on the cars that Remy managed to steal and get them in shape, and work on training the Purgatory kids to take care of themselves. He wasn't doing anything about the weapon, or Sinister or Candice or anything.

People were in danger because of her, and Tad was tired of sitting around and not doing anything about it. She hated waiting in the first place, even if her impatience had gotten her into trouble more than once. She ducked out the front door and started down the long driveway. Somehow it reminded her of her banishment from Xavier's and she almost turned around and went back, but she wasn't someone else's responsibility, and hated feeling like she was.

She made it to the gate, when the sound of the bike engine coming down the drive sent her ducking into the overgrown hedges.

"Come out, Tad, you ain't goin anywhere." He said from the back of the bike. She slunk deeper into the hedges hoping he would just give up and go back to the building. "Kid, I'm not in the mood to play games right now, get your ass back to the house, or I'm dragging you back by your hair."

He chose that moment to look right where she was hiding and she didn't doubt for a second he'd do what he threatened. She stepped out of the hedge and started walking back up the drive.

"You know you don't have to walk." He said, glaring at her.

"No thanks." She snarled.

"And I thought I was in a mood…" He muttered, before pulling a cigar out of his jacket pocket and lighting it. "Your choice, kid, but it'll be faster if I drive ya."

She just kept walking. She heard him muttering behind her.

"…picks now to grow a damned backbone." She heard before the engine on the bike roared to life again. She stepped to the side of the drive so he could pass by, but his arm snaked out and dragged her belly first across the gas tank of the bike. "I aught ta spank your ass too." He growled.

Tad just closed her eyes against the speeding ground just inches from her nose. Her hair was dragging along the gravel drive and she didn't dare struggle, she knew she'd heal from any injuries from a crash – and so would he, but they'd hurt like a son of a bitch. He kept his hand on the small of her back as he pulled into the garage, and then yanked her off the bike, and over his shoulder.

"If you're gonna act like a damned teenager, then I'm gonna treat ya like one. You're GROUNDED!" He roared as he carried her up the stairs and dropped her onto her bed. "You're just lucky I'm not in a GOOD mood, or I WOULD spank your ass." He shouted as he slammed the door – and locked it. She was trying to decide if ripping the window out was worth it when he slammed the door open again.

"And for the RECORD I did NOT put my daughter up to anything." He shouted and slammed the door again. She sat there in shock for a second, and then went back to thinking about the window; as the door slammed open a second time.

"HELL!" He crossed the room in three strides and yanked her up off the bed.


	11. Chapter 11

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 11 – Pain Tolerance

"HELL!" He crossed the room in three strides and yanked her up off the bed.

He gripped her arm tightly and she could feel his claws digging into her arm, cutting through fabric and skin. She could feel blood dripping as he dragged her out of the room, down the hall and pushed her into Angel and Todd's room.

"You three are having this out – I'm sick of it. I'm not letting ANY of you out until you can get along." He roared, and slammed the door, locking it from the outside. She could hear his angry steps fade down the hallway.

"Tad are you alright." Angel ran across the room, and pulled her over to the bed to sit down.

"I'm grounded." She said, still slightly stunned.

"Yeah – me too." Angel laughed.

"What are you grounded for?" She asked as she tried to pull gravel and leaves out of the ends of her hair from the ride on the bike.

"Trying to play matchmaker for my Dad." Angel said with a slight snarl. "He thought I was interfering."

"Well you are." Tad snarled back.

"I'm just worried about both of you, alright." Angel snapped. They sat there for a bit, neither one saying anything until Todd cleared his throat from across the room. Tad looked at Angel.

"Well throwing us in bed together isn't going to help anything, sex isn't always the answer." She said with a wry smile.

"I KNOW that. But I'm worried and concerned about both of you. I don't want either of you to be alone, and you both could take care of each other…"

"Angel, that's no reason to throw two people together, I LIKE your dad, okay, but he's still very wrapped up in your Mom and I'm not going to play second to someone else, not anymore."

"I got that – okay, and Dad explained it to me a bit. Dad's not…he's confused. He told me some things I didn't know, about him and my Mom, and I have a feeling he's in the same boat you are about not wanting to be second anymore."

"That's hard to believe." Tad scoffed.

"I know – but after what he told me I kinda get it…and that we didn't exactly make things easy on you either…and now with Candice and this Sinister stuff, I get it."

"Good…because I was really starting to feel pressured…and I don't think your Dad is ready for anyone else in his life yet."

"I do. I think he needs to get on with things, and I really think you two would make a great couple." Angel said. Tad wished she'd just drop it.

"He's SABRETOOTH! Hello." Tad said.

"I KNOW that, but he's still my DAD!"

"Angel you are insane."

"Maybe – but I hate seeing both of you hurting…you said you like my Dad, is it that far to go just another step." Tad just glared at her for a moment before trying again.

"Angela, I don't know how to get this through to you. I like your Dad, and if he wasn't your DAD, okay he's HOT, but he's your Dad, and you just lost your Mom, and all I can see is your Dad."

"So take me out of the picture…"

"It's not that easy, and even if YOU weren't in the picture, he still just lost his wife, and I don't want to…I want to be THE ONE for someone, not the second wife, or have to pick up the leftovers…just once, I want to be IT."

"I get that…I really do, and I guess I've been pushing a bit, but…"

"There's no but." Tad said.

"Right, he's just my Dad…got it."

"Good."

"But if you change your mind…I so get to say I told you so." Angel said with a grin as she reached over and pulled Tad into a hug. Todd tried to ignore them.

"For the record, I told her she was nuts too." He said finally.

"Thanks." Tad grinned.

"So what are we doing about Sinister?" Todd asked.

"I have no idea." Tad said.

"Well – I know Victor's plan is to bait him, draw him out either into a confrontation or a conversation either way. This thing he's developed, it's worse than Xavier's people thought." Todd said, leaning back in his chair and putting his book down. "The clone thing, that's more an annoyance, it's the bullets that are the big issue."

"I thought we'd already figured out that we need to avoid them – and find some way to counter what they can do." The door opened and all three turned, expecting Victor to be standing there.

"We did." Mystique said from the door. "But there's a bigger problem. Vic just left, to go to Xavier's again."

"Why?" Angel asked.

"The wound – it's not healing, and he hasn't said anything but he's still in pain from it."

"What?" The three said in unison. Tad knew she'd been smelling pain from him, but just assumed it was from something else.

"Yeah, he was working with Janet and she kicked him in the side, and it started bleeding again. He's going to see if Hank can get it out – see how far its spread." Mystique said quietly.

"Dad." Angel whispered, anguish in her voice. Tad wanted to echo the sentiment, but it wasn't her place. He'd taken that bullet because of her, and now she was feeling guilty again. She put her arm around Angel, and tried to reassure her.

"It should be fine. Hank was able to get most of it before, we just have to wait and see. He's Sabretooth, remember, it will take more than this to take him down." Tad said.

"That's the spirit, Kid." Mystique said, but Tad could smell her concern too – and Mystique never gave a damn about anyone but Mystique.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He drove himself, the wound was bleeding sluggishly. He was getting sick of this shit. He had been ignoring it, letting his factor work on it, like always, but when that frail kicked him today, it just wouldn't stop bleeding. He hoped Angel and Tad got things worked out, because he wasn't going to be able to bash their heads together if they hadn't.

He pulled up to the gate.

"Charles."

"Victor…Hank and Logan are in Medlab waiting for you." The gate opened and he drove to the front door. He didn't even question Logan waiting.

He walked straight to the elevator, holding a towel against his side. He walked the familiar metal lined corridors to the Medlab. The blue feral was waiting, already in surgical scrubs – and so was Logan?

"What the HELL?" He asked.

"Cauterization didn't work, we're going to try removing that portion of your body out with Logan's claws, and let it heal naturally."

"That's gonna hurt." He snarled, glaring at Logan.

"I have a local anesthetic prepped that should work; it will deaden parts of Logan's body for surgery for up to ten minutes."

"Fuck – just get it over with." He snarled and laid down on the gurney.

He winced at the needle piercing his side. It did help the pain, but the idea of Logan cutting on him – without fighting back – was really getting on his last nerve. It was the cold gel and the colder pad of the machine that startled him.

"What the…?"

"Ultrasound – we need to see how far the damage has spread, and which organs are being affected."

"Just cut it the fuck out – I've survived being disemboweled by this asshole before."

"That is not my concern. If this has spread into your organs, we may be facing complete organ failure, and death, Victor."

"Just do it."

He closed his eyes and waited. The injection worked – he couldn't even feel the paddle from the machine anymore. He felt another stick, this time in his arm, and everything faded.

"…lucky if we got it in time." He heard Charles saying as his eyes fluttered open.

"Be still, Victor, you will be down for a few more days." Hank said laying a gentle hand on his left shoulder.

"Why?"

"You have to re-grow most of your torso." Charles said.

"What?"

"The contaminant spread farther than we thought, we had to knock you out and have Logan excise a huge amount of your left side and chest."

"How much? How long have I been out?"

"You've been out three days, and your lungs just started working again this morning."

"My lungs."

"It didn't reach your heart but it was close."

"God! How bad?"

"We were able to save your right shoulder and arm, your neck, and your hip…the rest was cut away to the spine." Hank said matter-of-factly. "The lung grew back last night and you started breathing on your own this morning. The contaminant was difficult to get, and I am not one hundred percent certain I got it all."

"Shit! You mean I might have to do this again?"

"No, Victor, if I didn't get it all, we won't be able to…you'll die."

"I can't die." He snarled. His left side felt warm and he tried to lift his head but it was restrained. "What the hell?"

"We need you immobile while your organs regenerate." Hank said as he adjusted an IV stand over Victor's head.

"How LONG will I be like this?" His breath was already short.

"You should sleep through most of it, as soon as that medication hits your system." Hank said, his white teeth shining in his blue face as Victor's eyes blurred and his vision faded.

"When should we tell him the other situation?" He heard Logan ask…as his hearing faded out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tad woke up, her head pounding, cotton in her mouth and unable to move. She'd called Logan last night to check on Victor, and gone to bed, and now she had no idea where she was. She tried to turn her head but she was laying on her stomach, her body pinned down, and burning pain in her back. Her head was trapped and all she could see was a small section of wall.

"Subject has regained consciousness and is reacting to the solvent." She heard a deep cultured voice with a strong British accent say over her back. "Restraints have been secured – begin experiment 859342."

She felt something cold drip onto her back – and then it started to burn. She fought the pain as long as she could…before the pure feral roar of rage and pain ripped from her throat.

"Pain tolerances above normal…as expected. Continue experiment."

The dripping continued – until she blacked out again.


	12. Chapter 12

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 12 – With Knowledge Comes Wisdom

"You little whore." The voice startled Tad awake. "It is all your fault."

She still couldn't move, but she'd remember that voice and that venom anywhere.

"Candice." She snarled.

"I hope you are enjoying this…my Master is so kind to you, using you in his experiments like this. Your pain is so pleasant to me, if only my brother were here to see it."

Tad tried to wiggle free, but the restraints held her down.

"It's too bad, really, that your new lover had to die. The two of you could have bred perfect slaves for my Master to experiment on. That's alright; there will be others you can be bred to." Tad felt a stab of guilt and pain. Victor was dead? The pain overcame the guilt and she felt tears slip down her cheeks.

"I do think you'll miss him, as much as I miss my brother, perhaps." Candice whispered in her ear. "Allan so wanted to breed with you, he hoped your mutation would pass to your children so that they could be trained properly. I had hopes for your – Sabretooth, but I don't think he survived. You certainly can't look forward to him rescuing you now…or your little friends."

"Enough, little one, if he is dead, it will be you who suffers, I don't like to reward loyalty with suffering, and your little vengeance has cost me the trust of someone I have used in the past. His death will not please me, Slave." The cultured voice said.

"Master, he cannot survive your weapon, he had to…" Candice whimpered in pain – and Tad could smell her growing arousal with every second. She wanted to throw up; the room was so filled with twisted scents.

"Continue with the experiments." The voice said coldly, and the liquid dripped onto her back again, sending fire screaming up her spine. She screamed as her spine seemed to be consumed in liquid fire. The only thing that let her keep her grip on her sanity was the slim hope that Victor was still alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dad?" Angel said, waking him.

"Hey, how bad is it?"

"You look better." He could smell her fear.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Tad. She's missing."

"WHAT!?" He managed to force himself into a sitting position. The ribs had grown back, finally allowing him to move. He was still waiting on the internal organs to become fully functional again, but externally he was almost recovered. "How long?"

"Two days."

"And no one TOLD ME!" He roared.

"Dad you can't do anything about it…not yet."

"Where'd she go – I'll beat her ass when I find her…" He tried to pull the covers back on the bed, but he just didn't have the strength. This is what it felt like to be sick – frail, and he didn't like it one bit. He collapsed back onto the bed.

"Dad – she was kidnapped, right out of the house."

"SHIT! Sinister?"

"We think so, but we can't find her, and Xavier's trying with Cerebro, they got Greg and Janet and Marcus too."

"Why does he want them?"

"We don't know. Janet's a telekinetic, Greg's a class two feral, and Marcus is a class one telepath."

"That makes no sense…the weapon is designed almost specifically against ferals, I mean it would be lethal against any mutant but…"

"We think he's doing some other kind of experimentation, not just with the weapon." Angel said. Her fear and worry were going to drive him insane.

"Angel I'm fine – we need to concentrate on Tad and the others." He leaned back, willing his factor to start working faster.

"Victor, we did get all the contaminant, however, your body still needs time to heal." Hank said.

"I don't care – I'm responsible for those kids…get me the fuck out of this bed."

"I can't – you have had to regenerate half your torso, not just repair but regenerate the entire mass, your factor is overloaded…you NEED to rest, and finish healing."

"Fuck that…"

"Either you lay back – or you leave me no choice but to sedate you again."

"Fuck…" His vision went black.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tad glared at the woman standing over her. They'd turned her over on the table – now he was examining her reproductive organs, without anesthetic. She'd bitten through her lip twice and her cheek once, while Candice grinned – and licked her lips, her arousal making the room stink.

"Oh just a little whimper, please. I am so looking forward to breaking you when my Master is finished with you…" The pure lust in the woman's eyes made Tad nauseous.

"ENOUGH!" He was her worst nightmare, clean cut, typically British, in a white lab coat, and a suit underneath as he cut and dug into her lower abdomen, an almost boyish look of glee and discovery on his face. Candice pulled back, a pout on her lips. Tad let her body surrender to the pain and passed out.

"…don't know why they don't reproduce well. Creed has a child, and I can't find any reason within her for her lack of conception. I will have to look at the genetic samples later." She winced as her body tried to knit back together against the restraints he'd placed in the wounds. The continued pain was becoming a state of being. "The other mutants do not seem to have any difficulty, the female was able to conceive by both male donors, however the lower class feral mutant's embryo aborted naturally, perhaps a genetic system to cause like to breed with like. Continued research in both areas is called for."

He walked into her line of vision. "Ahh, you are awake. I sent Candice out, I wanted to thank you. Your continued cooperation in my experiments has helped me with several areas of research, and I wanted to reassure you that Mr. Creed is well – and will make a full recovery."

She wanted to rip his face off, or dig her claws into his guts but the restraints had her pinned down.

"I understand your anger, but please understand your cooperation may help others later, a poor consolation I know, but one you should be proud of." He adjusted something over her head and her eyes started to become heavy again. "You need to rest. We will begin again, tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXX

Victor climbed out of bed. No one was there to stop him. He looked in the mirror, and externally couldn't see a blemish. He still felt twinges of pain as his body continued to heal on the inside, but he could move – and was ready to go looking for the missing kids.

The door opened.

"Dad you should be in bed."

"I'm fine – does Egg Head have a location?"

"No – he can't seem to lock onto any of them. He's narrowed it down to somewhere north east of here, around thirty miles or so, but he can't pinpoint it any better than that." Todd said as he came in the door behind his wife.

"Alright – it's a lab, right, let's start looking for labs."

"We are already doing that…" Angel said.

"Todd, Angel stays here; Sinister is not getting his hands on her."

"Dad…"

"It's not YOU, Baby. It's the baby; he likes to experiment on them young."

"Oh, alright."

"Is Logan in?"

"Yes he said when you're ready – or if we get a location before then, he's in."

"Good. Todd, you, me, Logan, Rogue if she's up to it, Gambit and Mystique, I don't think anyone else can handle this – unless we decide to wake up Apocalypse, and I ain't in the mood for him."

"Dad?"

"We're going to have to go in there, find 'em and get them the hell out, if they're still alive."

"Xavier says they are." Angel said.

"Charles has been wrong before."

"Not this time…I just can't get a lock." He said as he wheeled into the room. Victor was pulling a T-Shirt on over his head. His jeans had been cleaned and were on the dresser in the room, and he'd already pulled them on. "You are welcome to our resources, Victor, I think we still have a uniform that will fit you."

"Not on a GOOD day, old man." Victor snarled. "Were Tad's keys in her room?"

"What?"

"The key chain – did they grab that too?"

"I don't know?" Angel said. "It was Mom's old one, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…it was?"

"I'll call Toad." Angel ducked from the room.

"What does the keychain have to do with anything?"

"It has a GPS tracker in it…Angel has one in hers too."

"Why would she have it with her?"

"Tad took to carrying it in her pocket – if she hadn't left it laying somewhere they might have grabbed it with her, and as long as they didn't take her clothes off before they got her where they wanted her, we'll be able to track it."

"My God, you are paranoid."

"No – just careful with the important things."

"Thaddeus is that important to you?"

"Yeah – she's my daughter's best friend."

"Victor…?"

"None of your damned business, Old Man."

"I need to know."

"Why?"

"Because I am concerned for her well being – and yours."

"As I said, none of your damned business."

"Victor – one of the reasons I can't get a lock on her is the pain she's in. She's pushing everything and everyone away from her with it. I taught her that, but now it's not helping. I don't know what's happened to her, but the pain is excruciating."

"I'll kill the son of a bitch." Victor said simply.

"If it really is Nathan – you can't, you know that."

"I know…but I can make him suffer."

"Victor – you are acting like she means more than just a friend of your daughter."

"Shut up, Old Man."

"I just…"

"I said shut up."

Victor glared at him, and Charles backed down and out of the door. He started down the hallway, still feeling a little light headed but back on his feet. Angel came running down the hall, a smile on her face.

"The keys aren't in the house – anywhere, she must have had them on her."

"Now we get a break…Charles, I am assuming you have a computer I can access."

"Of course."

"Good – we'll get this going." He followed the older appearing man down the hallway and into one of the conference rooms. He always hated these metal hallways.

He logged into the computer, and pulled up the secure tracking sight for the GPS system he used. He snarled, so much for a break…Angel's was showing up, but Bronwyn's wasn't, shit. Sinister either had the GPS blocked or they'd destroyed the tracker. He had a log that kept track of the units automatically every five minutes. He accessed the log, the unit had gone offline yesterday, around noon. He downloaded the last known location, but didn't think it would help much…although it was within the search radius that Charles and Cerebro indicated.

"It's someplace to start anyway." He printed out the log and showed it to Charles.

"You're right, it's someplace to start. I'll get my team suited up."

"Mystique and Gambit are on the way." Angel said.

"Good, I want to get in, get them and get the fuck out."

"Victor – are you up to this?" Todd asked.

"YES!"

"Right." Logan walked in. "You sure?"

"Fuck you, Runt, and the horse your rode in on."

Logan just laughed, as his wife walked in behind him, he dropped on arm around her still youthful shoulder. "Darlin, don't kill him."

"Cain't I kill him just a little." Even after all these years her accent still was strong.

"No, Baby, besides, don't you have a costume to finish for Renna."

"I can wait the plays not till next week…I swear whoever came up with kindergarten talent shows was an idiot."

"Not my fault you wanted another kid."

"You were there at conception, Jerk." Rogue snapped at her husband. Years of physical contact between them had allowed her to adapt to his mutation, to the point she looked as young as the day they were married.

"I ain't the one that poked the damned hole in the damned condom either." He muttered.

"Alright – can we get on with this rescue and leave the domestic crap alone." Victor snarled.

"Someone needs ta get laid." Rogue muttered.

"I've been trying." He heard his daughter mutter back. He was going to kill them both when this mission was over. The rest of the team arrived and they sat down to go over the plan. Victor and Logan would go in, Rogue, Mystique, Gambit and Toad would watch the entrances, and when the all clear was given by one of the ferals, come in to deal with any resistance. Rogue kept muttering about idiot males but he'd learned to ignore her over the last thirty years of 'family holidays'.

"Let's do this." Victor muttered.

They all nodded and headed to the garage, with the search radius so close, there was no need for the jet – but Storm would have it on standby if they needed a quick exit.


	13. Chapter 13

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 13 –

He stalked the halls, trying to find her. Her scent was everywhere. The facility was exactly what he'd expected from Sinister, clean, efficient, and hidden in plain sight. He was using an old hospital complex, it had all the facilities for his experiments, and no one would question the people going in and out.

The others, except Todd, were getting Janet, Greg, and Marcus out of their cells. Most of what they'd encountered so far was just administrative support, no Marauders yet, and Victor knew from experience Sinister would keep them close, guarding his most important work. The problem was, her scent was everywhere, in every lab he'd gone through there were parts of her being experimented on. He had a strange sinking feeling in his chest and his rage was growing in proportion.

The only thing that kept him looking was the fact that she was a feral, a class five, with a healing factor to rival his, and if she was that important to Sinister he'd keep her alive, in pain, but alive. Victor caught a fresh scent and took off.

"Victor, wait." His son-in-law shouted behind him as he tried to keep up.

"Fresh scent." He growled. He was in full hunting mode, Sabretooth's senses and instincts on overdrive.

"Good, can we put a plan together?" Todd said.

"Plan's this – you go back, help the others, let me deal with this." Victor ground out.

"My wife would kill me, no thank you. I know you're Sabretooth, but I'm more afraid of your daughter at the moment." That actually made him stop, and chuckle. The kid had his priorities straight.

"Fine – stick with me, I'm gonna find her, get her out, and kill anything in my way, so if you can't handle it, get the fuck back to the others."

"I can handle it – and I brought a gun, why everyone seems to think they can just rely on their mutations is beyond me." Victor chuckled again…a gun might not be a bad idea.

He followed the fresh scent to another dead end, and another bloody organ in another lab.

"FUCK!" He slammed his fist through a wall.

"Victor, we'll find her." Todd said, Victor could smell the boy's rage and fear.

"We better."

He stood there trying to get another scent, but it just wasn't working. This was the third floor of the building, and the last place to look other than the basement and morgue.

"Let's go down, there are labs in the basement I'm sure." Todd said.

Victor just nodded, and followed the boy to the stairs.

"I'm worried too, Victor." Todd said.

"I can smell it."

"I can imagine you getting this worked up over Angel, I have to admit I'm surprised at your reaction."

"She's mine."

"I thought…"

"Don't think, just move." He snarled at the boy, jumping an entire flight of stairs.

"I'm confused…you jumped Angel for trying to fix you up with Tad, and now you're telling me she's yours?"

"I said don't think."

"She's my friend, the closest thing to family I have, so yeah I'm going to think" Todd snapped at him. Victor snarled but admitted the kid had a point.

"She's hurting, she's a wounded animal, you don't just put a leash on something like that, you take it in, heal it, and hope like hell it wants to stay."

"Oh…so you are interested."Victor just glared at his son-in-law.

"Like I said, she's mine, she just don't know it yet." He yanked open the door to the basement and a fresh wave of her scent hit him, much stronger than the others. "I think this is it."

"Of course it is, Victor." A voice he recognized said.

"Nathan, how ya been?" Victor said, facing the immortal down the hallway.

"Confused, your little friend has been quite the puzzle."

"Let her go."

"I'd love to, really I would, but there are so many questions."

"Nathan, I said let her go."

"Now why would he do that?" A woman stepped out of one of the rooms behind Sinister, her hands and face covered with Tad's scent.

"Enough, Candice, I grow weary of your venom." Nathan said in a cold deadly voice.

"Yes, Master."

"Is this your son-in law?" Sinister asked, pointing to Todd.

"Yeah – what of it?"

"I understand you and your wife are already expecting, and the pregnancy is developing normally?"

"Leave him alone."

"Victor, please, in the name of Science, let the boy answer my questions."

Todd looked at him, before just nodding at Sinister.

"That is simply amazing. What is your mutation?"

"I'm a water breather."

"Aquatic feral – that makes sense, it will be interesting to see how the child develops with both land based and aquatic traits."

"Sinister!" Victor growled.

"I will let it develop naturally, Victor, I owe you for your discomfort from my other experiment, although I have to admit as a test subject, you were ideal."

Victor just let out a loud growling snarl.

"Now now, none of that, your son-in-law's simple responses have helped clear a few questions for me, and I don't think I'll need your little friend anymore. I have more than enough samples." He indicated the door Candice had come out of. "Take her."

"I should kill you."

"You can't…however, I do know your bloodlust must be out of control…so I'll leave you a little gift." He turned and walked down the corridor, leaving Candice standing there in confusion, before she took off running after him.

"Master, please…." He slapped her to the ground, before opening a door, walking through and slamming it in front of her, Victor could hear the lock click. "NO! You BASTARD!"

"Todd – deal with that." Victor said as he rested his hand on the door Nathan had indicated. He knew that Sinister would keep his word, and that he and his family were safe – for now. Nathan might be a cold heartless bastard, but he did have some sense of honor, at least where his experiments were concerned. Now he only had to deal with the damned Murauders.

He hesitated just a second at the door before opening it, and letting out a roar of pure rage at the sight that greeted him.

XXXXXXXXXX

She was drifting in and out of consciousness. Something loud and angry woke her up and she looked over at the door, at the huge animal snarling there and the two men facing him. He sent them slamming into the walls, and lunged for the table. She could barely move, the restraints kept her pinned to the table, the devices that he'd implanted in her kept her wounds open and bleeding. She just whimpered in pain and fear.

"Tad…" She should recognize the voice, but she just couldn't place it. "Baby."

The animal's hands were gentle as he tried to remove the restraints, but his snarling and growling just made her more afraid.

"I'll kill that bastard when I get my hands on him, immortal or not." His voice was harsh and the salt of his tears stung as they dropped into the open wounds. She felt a fresh surge of pain as he ripped the restraints that had been fastened between the bones of her lower leg off the table, and out of her flesh.

"I know it hurts, Baby, but your body will heal, I gotta get you out of here."

She whimpered, it was the only sound she could make to warn him. A hand gripped his shoulder as he leaned over her, yanking him back just as he started to pull one of the metal brackets holding her abdomen open. She screamed in pain as the bracket ripped out, and he turned in rage on the man who was attacking him from behind.

When her eyes cleared from the stars – she watched him as he ripped the throat out of the man attacking him.

"Touch my mate – bastard, that's what you get." He roared. He turned and met her eyes. "Baby, let's get you out of here." He unfastened another set of brackets, and her stomach started to knit together. The pain was excruciating but at least it was healing – not more damage.

"Victor?"

"Yeah, Baby…come on." He tried to lift her off the table when another body slammed into him from behind, forcing his large torso down across her still open abdomen. "Just a sec." He snarled, and turned on the mutant that was attacking him. She tried to sit up, but was knocked back by his arm as he flung his body over hers to protect her from the blast of electric sparks from the mutant's hands.

"I am going to kill this son of a bitch, then we are getting the fuck out of here." He snarled, and turned to face the man. She tried to concentrate, but his movements were almost mesmerizing and certainly hypnotic as he threw the man against the wall and then dug his black metal claws deep into his gut. "That's my MATE you bastard." He roared.

She shook her head, his WHAT?

"Victor?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Right – get you out of here…" He walked to the table and lifted her into his arms.

"I should try to walk."

"Don't be silly. Baby, you need to rest. I got ya."

"Victor – I'm not…"

"Shhhhh, we'll talk about it later."

"No."

"Yes, now hush and let me get you the hell out of here…I have a present for you."

"I'm not…"

"Shhhh, not a word." He whispered as he carried her to the door. Todd was standing outside, one hand on Candice's shoulder. She was almost willing to accept that from him, if only to kill the bitch herself.

"Let's go." He said to his son-in-law.

"Mate huh?" Todd said with a knowing look.

"Shut the fuck up." He snarled. She let darkness overcome her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He held her as she healed. It hadn't hit him, until he'd seen those men, their hands on her body, as she lay there cut open and bleeding, that she was HIS, damn it. He didn't regret a moment killing either of them; they'd touched what was his. He twisted his neck until it popped as he carried her up the stairs and out to the jet that Storm had landed outside the complex.

"Is she alright." Logan asked as he carried her up the ramp.

"She will be."

"You have to let her go, we can't treat her…"

"NO!" He snarled at the other feral. Logan backed up; Victor knew he understood exactly what was going on.

"You can't do this, Vic."

"I can't NOT!"

"SHIT!"

"Logan what is it." Rogue asked, peeling off her gloves.

"He's…Have you said anything to her?"

"I think she heard me when I was killing the bastards that were hurting her."

"Oh SHIT!"

"LOGAN!" Rogue grabbed her husband's leather clad arm.

"He's claimed her as his mate."

"Oh, you dumb ass." Rogue snapped at him.

"It just hit me…"

"WHAT!" Logan snapped.

"Yeah…I walked in that room and all I could think of was getting them away from her, and it just came out of my mouth."

"Aahh HELL Creed…Rogue's right, you're a dumb ass."

"I can take it back."

"I'm not sure you should. She needs you." Logan said as he looked at the woman unconscious in Victor's arms.

"No shit, Sherlock."

He curled her limp body against his chest as he sat down. He knew exactly what he was doing, it was just a lot sooner than he'd expected. He'd never said those words to Bron, he loved her, but she wasn't his mate. He'd known for a while that Tad was his, but she wasn't ready for this – for him, neither of them was, and he'd gone and rushed things along.

She was going to hate him, and he was afraid he was going to lose her over this. He just wanted to protect her, keep her safe, he wasn't asking any more than that, not yet. He'd screwed it up, again, and it would be back to square one with her. He growled low in his chest, and felt her stir.

"Shhh. Just rest."

"Victor?"

"We're getting you back to the mansion, alright?"

"No, I don't want to go there."

"Baby, Hank can take care of you…I don't know what all Sinister did, alright, but let Hank help."

"No…no…I don't want to go back there…" He could fee her temperature rising, ferals didn't get sick, didn't get fevers. "Tad…stay with me. Baby, come on."

"I'm not…"

"You're going to be fine."

"I'm not…your Baby."

"Shh…we'll talk about it later."

"No…not later…I'm not…"

"Tad, shhh…don't try to talk. You're healing slowly, I don't like it."

"I'm not…"

"Thaddeus…shut the fuck up and heal…we can talk later." He snarled.

"KISS MY ASS!" She managed a small roar.

"That's my girl." He grinned and leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"No…I'm…NOT!" She roared again and he laughed.

"Guess your healing factor's workin."

"Fuck you."

"No."

"WHAT!"

"Not till Hank checks you out."

"NEVER!"

"Woman, haven't you figured out, I always get what I want."

He could feel her glaring at him, and he smiled. Making her angry was working, now he just had to figure out how to keep her from figuring out he meant every word.


	14. Chapter 14

I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.

A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.

Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.

Chapter 14 – ONLY

It had taken her a week to recover. He was watching her sitting on a bench on the front lawn, a light snow falling on her hair and coat shoulders. He'd been avoiding her, he wouldn't deny it. She didn't remember anything from after first waking up strapped to the table until she woke up at the institute in the Medlab, and he was trying to keep it that way. At least Xavier was trying to make sure Candice payed for what she'd done. Human justice took forever, and sometimes it suited him just fine. That bitch would be rotting in prison for a very long time.

"Dad?"

"Leave me be, Angel." He snarled.

"You can't leave things like this."

"Yes I can. She doesn't want anything to do with me beyond being your Dad, and I'm going to give her that." He couldn't stop the surge of pain in his chest, it hit every time he talked about it – or saw her. He was considering taking off, leaving the place to the kids and just getting the hell out, and away from the pain.

"Dad."

"Don't. She doesn't remember – and even if she did, she told me, in no uncertain terms she wasn't interested."

"Dad…she was out of her MIND!"

"No…you told me – she doesn't want to be second, remember, and I have to respect that."

"Is she? Second?" He could see the conflict on her face, but he just turned back to the window, and watching the young woman in the snow.

"No."

"Then tell her that…"

"You don't get it, it doesn't matter. She'll always feel that way, no matter what I do. Until she realizes…" He snarled.

"Dad?"

"I love her…but I understand. I accepted second, but lived my life with your mother under that shadow. She doesn't want that – certainly not as long as we live." He tried to soften the growl, but it still came out harsh.

"She needs someone who can convince her she's first." Angel said softly. "I don't see why you can't do that?"

"Because of your mother, because I loved her – first, Angel she was the first woman I ever LOVED! The first time I ever felt those emotions. How can I convince Tad that she's first? I knew deep down that what your mother and I had was temporary, not because I couldn't stay with her, but because she couldn't stay with me. She was going to die on me eventually…with Tad, she's a class five feral, she has centuries in front of her, why the hell would she want to be stuck with a monster like me?"

"You're NOT a monster, Dad!" Angel snarled at him, and he chuckled. She was definitely his daughter.

"That doesn't matter, what does matter is that I will always feel like Tad's unhappy if I try to convince her; that she'll always try to prove herself, even though she doesn't have to. She has to figure things out on her own. I can't force it. THAT'S a lesson I learned from your mother."

"Dad – you love her, she's a feral like you, and you refuse to take a chance."

"No – I refuse to try to force the issue. IF she comes around and IF she can accept me as I am, and accept what I can offer her, I'm here and waiting; if not…I just don't know how much more pain I can take."

He was actually surprised at Angel's acceptance even encouragement of his interest in Tad. He'd honestly expected her to be against it, to have difficulty seeing him as anything but Dad, certainly not a man with needs and wants of his own.

"Maybe the word you're looking for isn't first." Todd said from behind them. They both turned and looked at him.

"What?"

"Well, no offense, but what you felt for Angel's Mom is in the past. What you feel for Tad is current – and strong, and she's the only woman you feel that way about, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So maybe the word is only, not first."

"Todd, what the HELL are you talking about?" Angel snapped at him, and Victor chuckled at the irritation in his daughter's voice.

"Baby, I love you, and you're the ONLY woman I feel that way about, now, but you're not the first woman I ever loved. I had a HORRIBLE crush on Ororo when I was young." He grinned. "And even she wasn't my 'first;' there was this girl in the third grade, I can't even remember her name...anyway, I think Tad's not so much worried about being 'first' as being the 'only,' wanting to feel like she's the most important, not just the flavor of the month."

"I think I actually get what you're saying, Todd." Victor muttered.

"Ohhh, Toddy…" Angel cooed, and Victor beat a quick retreat from the newlyweds as they wrapped their arms around each other, making him gag from the sugar sweetness in the room.

He needed to think – and his best place for that was the garage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She sat there, not even feeling the cold as the light snow fell. Her dreams had been disturbed for the last week, and it wasn't nightmares that were the problem, but one phrase that kept running through the dreams. She didn't want to tell anyone how much she really did remember about the rescue, not until she could sort out exactly how she felt about it.

He'd called her his mate – roared it actually for the world to hear. She hadn't been able to respond, she'd tried…but he'd kept shushing her.

He'd called her his mate, and then gone back to such simple human words to try to explain what she was. She'd tried to tell him she wasn't his 'Baby' or 'Darlin' or 'girl' and now, she didn't know how to tell him how she felt. He'd said he 'always gets what he wants' and then left her alone without doing anything about it. She was confused, and angry, and hurt, and angry, and so desperately alone. His avoiding her wasn't helping. She wanted to talk to him about it but he dodged and ducked every time she came into a room with him, and this place was huge. He'd managed to hide for most of a week, and she wasn't ready to try to force a confrontation with him either.

Angel wasn't exactly helpful either. She'd stopped the constant matchmaking, and just glared at Tad whenever he stormed out of a room, as if Tad could somehow stop it. Todd wasn't exactly supportive either. He didn't say anything, didn't give her any looks but somehow she knew he was waiting on her to do something too.

She didn't know what – or how.

"Hey, Chere." The familiar Cajun accent was welcome in the snow.

"Hey Remy."

"Why you sittin' out here in de cold?"

"I thought I'd give Victor a break, so he wouldn't have to avoid me all day." She gave a self depreciating laugh. "I'm not the most popular person around here."

"Chere…don' let dat big ol Tom Cat give you fits, non? You give as good as you get."

"I wish I could." She could feel the tears run hot and then cool in the air on her cheeks.

"Tell Gambit what wrong?"

"I should go, leave before it gets any worse."

"What, Chere? Dat Tom Cat an' his overactive hormones? Shit, he can take de cold showers."

"I wish you wouldn't say that."

"Why – you ain't interested, no way."

"I've NEVER said that…" She snarled, snapping at the one person that didn't seem to be angry at her for pushing Victor away.

"So you ARE interested…?" He leaned back and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket.

"I'm more than interested – I just don't…"

"Know how to let him know?"

"Know how to let myself love him."

"Chere – dat de easy part…its de day to day stuff that do you in. Look at me an de Rogue."

"I've seen how much he loved his wife…and I don't want to settle for less."

"Tad…dat man, I known him a long time, I never t'ought he capable of any'ting oder dan de hate. To see him o'ver de years, how 'tame' he become, an' to see what he capable of, I don' tink you got to settle for nothin. Dat man – der's a whole lot of him to go 'roun…an not jes' physically, non?" He lit his cigarette and took a long drag.

She laughed. "Maybe, but he's avoiding me…and I can't tell him how I feel if he won't let me."

"Den maybe it time you use dem instinc' o' yours and track dat man down." Remy grinned and stood up, shaking the snow that had started falling heavier from his hair and shoulders. "It up to you, Chere. Jes do me one favor, don' lie to him, and don' let him get away; de only ting worse dan lovin' someone and not knowin how to tell dem, is lovin' dem an' watchin dem love someone else." He gave her a very small smile, and turned and walked back toward the building. She'd seen that slump in his shoulders a few times over the years, usually after seeing Rogue and Logan together.

She sat there as the sun set and the snow fell harder before walking listlessly back to the main building. Since most of Purgatory moved in the place had become lively – and more lonely than ever. She slipped up the back stairs and down the resident's hallway to avoid most of the group as they played in the large gathering rooms on the ground floor. Most people had chosen rooms on the back side of the building, with a view of the back gardens and the forest behind. The original residents, Victor, Tad, Angel and Todd, Gambit, and of course Mystique had rooms on the front. The piece of land Victor had bought for them was fantastic, and Tad could see herself living here for a long time – but not alone, and not with anyone but Victor.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly when she fell in love with him – but she knew exactly when she stopped fighting it, he'd been holding her on the plane, she'd been barely conscious, and he was just whispering against her hair over and over, that she'd be alright. She'd been safe in his arms, his scent surrounding her, and she'd been at peace for the first time in her life.

She slipped quietly into her room. She thought about what Remy had said, and considered it, for just a second, before picking up her bag and starting to pack. Remy was wrong, there was something worse, and that was watching the person you love change their mind about loving you. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she was hurting Victor and she could only think of one way for it to stop – she had to go. He wouldn't talk to her, wouldn't even stay in the same room with her. She'd even tried slipping notes under his door, but found them, unopened under hers the next morning. She considered going to Angel, but didn't want to involve her in this.

"NOW what?" Speak of the devil; her best friend leaned against her bedroom door.

"I can't…" Tad started, but the tears flowed down her face and her throat closed over the sobs.

"Tad, this has to stop." Angel yanked the bag out of her hand and threw it down on the bed.

"It's going to." She forced out as she grabbed the bag and kept packing through the tears.

"No, you leave, he'll just come after you…he's threatening to leave so you'll stop hurting. I wish YOU BOTH would just get on with it already…" Angel shouted.

"Get on with what, I'm trying to get on – with my life." Tad snarled.

"No you're not; you're running away from it."

"Away from the pain maybe."

"Tad – he…as much as it pains me to say this…" Angel gave Tad a wry look that almost brought a smile through the tears "he loves you."

"I wish that was true…"

They both heard a low growl from the hallway.

"I'll let you two settle this…" Angel said and beat a hasty retreat as Victor's form filled the opening.

"Where are you going?" He was covered in grease, his hands almost black with it, and she let herself smile at the streak across one cheek.

"I don't know, back to my parents, I guess." She tried to sound firm, but even she heard the catch in her voice.

"You don't have to do that. I'm thinkin' about takin' off." He was looking at his hands.

"No, this place belongs to you." She said.

"Tad." He wiped his hands on his jeans. "No…I'm really starting to understand that I don't belong…you kids are doing a good thing, I wouldn't know one if it bit me in the ass."

"Victor, no, it's me that doesn't belong…"

"I'm feeling penned in, you kids are doin' a good job, you don't need me messin' things up." She suddenly realized that he wasn't talking about her, or them, but something else entirely.

"What…no, Purgatory needs you; Victor, Angel and Todd need you, your experience, your knowledge…"

"To what, keep the cars runnin'? That's all I been doin."

"Rescuing me doesn't count, huh?"

"That's different." He snarled.

"Why?"

"You're family."

"No I'm not…"

"Don't…I know, I understand, and you don't need me here makin' things hard for ya."

"What?"

"I know what you were tryin' ta tell me, even if you don't remember."

"What are you talking about?" This time she started getting irritated. Did he have to pick this moment to go and act like every other man she'd ever met and become dense and irritating?

"You kept tellin' me not ta call ya…forget it…" He turned to walk out of the room.

"Baby, Darlin', your girl? Are those what you were going to say?"

"You do remember?" He spun back to face her, glaring at her.

"Yeah – that part…and the part before that…"

"What part are you talking about?" He winced as he asked.

"The part where you roared at them to get their hands off your mate."

"Shit." He whispered. "I…it was in the heat of the moment, not…

"Then you didn't mean it?"

"What?"

"You wouldn't let me finish…"

"What? Finish telling me to leave you the hell alone?" He growled.

"On the plane…I kept trying to tell you I wasn't your Baby, I was your mate."

"You WHAT?" He roared.

"Yeah…" She just looked at him, anger radiating from his body.

He just shook his head for a moment. Then he just growled and lunged across the room, slamming the door behind him as he moved.

"I think you need to finish packing." He snarled as he glared down at her.

"What." She couldn't believe it. "Sorry, I guess you were taking it back." She turned and picked up the bag, praying he'd leave her to her humiliation. "Right. I'll just get out of your way." The last word came out as a sob, right before his clawed hands gripped her arms and his lips crashed down on hers.

"Not on your life." He whispered against her lips as he pulled her tight against his chest. She didn't fight as he backed her to the bed, and didn't even bother clearing it, just shoved everything out of the way as he covered her body with his.

"I thought you said…"

"Woman – STOP THINKING!" He growled against her neck. She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to force him back.

"Victor?"

One hands cupped her faced as he looked down at her. "It's a little late to change your mind now; Darlin." She could see the pain in his eyes as he started to pull away.

"I love you." The words slipped out, she didn't know if he'd accept them or not, but it was all she had to give him.

"Tad…" She was stunned by how quickly the pain and anger melted away. "Oh, Baby…I…" He leaned his forehead against hers and kissed her again. "I love you." The words were gruff, but exactly what she so desperately needed to hear. "Now would you shut the hell up, and put this old man out of his misery."

She laughed as she slid her arms around his neck, letting his hair tangle in her fingers as she pulled him down to her.


End file.
